Marvel fans react to Disney-Fox deal
£39bn merger gives Disney control of X-Men and Fantastic Four

After months of delicate behind-the-scenes negotiations, Disney has sealed a deal to purchase the majority of 21st Century Fox, one of its biggest rivals.
The $52.4 billion (£39bn) merger will see Disney assume control the of company’s film division, 21st Century Fox film, cable channels such as FX and National Geographic, as well as its large stakes in Sky and Hulu, the New York Post reports. Fox will retain ownership of the Fox News network, Fox Sports and Fox Business.
The announcement “resets the Hollywood power grid”, says The Washington Post, giving Disney control over a host of franchises including The Simpsons, Planet of the Apes and Alien, in addition to its existing brands such as Star Wars and The Avengers.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The possibilities of the merger were not lost on fans of the Marvel comic book universe.
Fox’s ownership of the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises has been a thorn in the side of Marvel film fans, who have long dreamt of seeing the likes of Wolverine, Cyclops and the Human Torch on screen alongside their fellow Marvel heroes, who are all owned by Disney.
Fans were keen to share their ideas - some tongue in cheek - for the crossovers made possible with all Disney’s new assets:
One user even came up with their own artist’s impression of how one Fox property might look re-imagined along Disney lines:
However, some thought the celebrations were short-sighted:
And, as ever, we learnt that The Simpsons - now a Disney property - already did it:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Interest rate cut: the winners and losers
The Explainer The Bank of England's rate cut is not good news for everyone
-
Quiz of The Week: 3 – 9 May
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will robots benefit from a sense of touch?
Podcast Plus, has Donald Trump given centrism a new lease of life? And was it wrong to release the deadly film Rust?
-
Are streaming bundles reinventing cable TV?
Today's Big Question The old-fashioned convenience of one service, one fee
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
-
Disney is engaged in a proxy battle against activist investors
Under the Radar Members of the Disney family are backing the company's leadership in the fight
-
Elon Musk to X's fleeing advertisers: 'Go f--- yourself' and 'don't advertise'
Speed Read 'What this advertising boycott is going to do is to kill the company,' Musk said at a public conference
-
A century of Disney
The Explainer How the House of Mouse grew from an animation studio into a global entertainment giant
-
The Bob Iger saga and Disney's next era
In Depth Who could eventually replace the controversial head of the Mouse House?
-
Is the Disney-Charter dispute the beginning of the end of cable TV?
Today's Big Question The dispute over Spectrum subscribers' access to premium Disney content could indicate a larger shift in television