Disney owns Marvel

Oh, go google it if you want a hard link, it's been reported fucking everywhere already. This is what happens when news breaks while I'm at work...

Anyway, title says it all. The Disney Corporation owns Marvel; as in Marvel Comics, Marvel Films, etc. Which overall means that instead of Marvel producing it's own films starring 3rd and 4th tier properties while it waits for Spider-Man, The X-Men and The Fantastic Four's prior contracts with other studios to expire; Disney will be doing that instead.

No need to worry - yet - about editorial issues in the books; comic book publishers make so little money in and of themselves as to not even EXIST for the companies that own them. DC Comics just KILLED Bruce Wayne, made Dick Grayson the new Batman, yanked Damian Wayne (Batman's son, Ra's Al Ghul's grandson, loooong story) out of continuity-limbo to be the new Robin, and has Bruce set up to "return" as one of the "zombie" Black Lanterns. Think Warners cares how that might reflect on their all-important "Batman" movie franchise? Hell no! They know that at this point only dedicated longtime fans are reading DC Comics right now, and they're all gonna see the movies anyway. As far as the media companies who own comic publishers are concerned, all that "wing" of the company does is hold onto licensed properties until they need to make movies out of them.

Don't expect to see Marvel rides/characters at Disney World just yet - those rights are probably still under contract to Universal Studios. But you can bet there's a legal team who's job it is to wriggle out of that ASAP. I look forward to the day I can have my picture taken with Moon Knight in front of The Jungle Cruise.

The big, super-awesome-mega-happy-good film geek angle on this is, of course, that about 98% of the Marvel Universe is now either under the direct control or at least in grasping-distance of John Lassetter and the boys from Pixar (who along with Steve Jobs are effectively running Disney right now.) Show of hands of anyone who thinks there's ANY Marvel property that would not be done either best or better-than-before by Team Pixar? Didn't think so.