Disney's $4bn bid for Marvel

The entertainment giant will buy the comic icons for billions...

09:43 01 September 2009

Walt Disney is to buy the comic book giant Marvel Entertainment in a huge $4bn (£2.5bn) deal, meaning that Disney will own the rights to Marvel’s stockpile of 5,000 characters.

Some of the iconic creations in MarvelÂ’s back catalogue includes Iron Man and Spider-Man.

Those lucky enough to have shares in Marvel will receive $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share owned.

Both companies have approved the deal. Disney president Robert Iger said: "We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney.

"Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters."

Arvind Bhatia, an analyst at Sterne, Agee and Leach, said that the deal is a "win-win situation for both companies".

"They [Marvel shareholders] are getting a good deal in my opinion. The CEO of the company, Isaac Perlmutter, is also the largest shareholder of the company.

"From that standpoint, we think the chances of this deal going through are pretty high."