The Walt Disney Co. is going to by Marvel Entertainment Inc. for about $4 Billion in cash and stock, according to Yahoo.com. Most of the character, approximately 5000 of them, will transfer over. This includes many of Stan Lee’s creations such as Spiderman and X-men.

Disney has said that this merger will benefit Marvel, as it will help them in the global distribution process as well as friendly relationships with distributors in selling Marvel based products. Disney also hopes to benefit in improving its allure to young males, as it usual market appeals more towards girls (Hannah Montana, The Jonas Bros.). Another possibly team up is the production of Marvel based Pixar films, as Pixar films in general turn out to have a big draw in movie revenue.

Marvel currently has deals with other movie studios, that Disney will honor if the transaction goes through. (For example, Iron Man 2 will be released by Viacom’s Paramount Pictures in 2010; Spiderman 4 will be released by Sony’s Columbia Pictures in 2011).

The board of directors of both companies have agreed to the transaction. It still needs approval from the majority of Marvel’s stockholders, as well clear an antitrust review before it can be officially settled. The deal should be closed by the end of the year.

Credit To: Yahoo.com

Editor’s Note: Personally, I think this deal can go either way. It might piss off many people, but there could be potential in this deal that would make Disney even more lucrative. Nevertheless, we can all agree that the mighty Disney Corporation has gotten all the more powerful. Voice your opinions in the comments below.