Disney to buy Marvel Comics for $4 billion

The colossal Disney Studios is about to get even larger: by buying MarvelComics, which has a stable of more than $5,000 characters such as Spider-Man, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Daredevil and Ghost Rider.

In spending a mere $4 billion on the Marvel catalogue, Disney now has aserious advantage over other major studios such as Sony, the lacklusterUnited Artists, Universal and 20thCentury-Fox. Only Warner, which is owned by the same group as DC Comics, could be considered as a competitor with its «Batman» franchise.

In addition to its own huge catalogue, Disney now owns the rights to afantastic number of action heroes, which have recently become cash cows forthe movie & TV industry, for themes parks and for merchandising.

The agreement has not yet been completed: Marvel shareholders still have to approved the transaction, as do anti-trust authorities.