• Los Angeles Times, Business Week, Tuesday, September 1, 2009 10:42 AM

For $4 billion in cash and stock, Walt Disney yesterday acquired a roster of 5,000 superheroes and pop culture figures, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and the Fantastic Four, report Dawn C. Chmielewski and Ben Fritz. It hopes to use the Marvel comic book characters in countless movies, television shows and video games.

Some of the characters are tied up in deals with other studios -- Sony Pictures owns the big-screen rights to Spider-Man in perpetuity, for example -- but Disney will share in proceeds and control much of the related merchandising.

Some Marvel devotees are expressing trepidation about the company being taken over by Disney, which is known for its goody-goody fare. But Christopher Vollmer, head of the media and entertainment practice for Booz & Co., notes that Disney has preserved the culture and autonomy of Pixar, the computer animation powerhouse formerly run by Steve Jobs, which it acquired three years ago.

Business Week's Ronald Grover points out that Disney has been one of Hollywood's biggest brand hunters throughout its history, with acquisitions including Winnie the Pooh, ESPN, and ABC.

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