Disney is making “one of the most notable acquisitions in some time,” said Daniel Indiviglio in The Atlantic, buying up comic powerhouse Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. The “potential synergies” are obvious: Disney gets to add Marvel’s cast of characters—Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, and some 5,000 others—to its stable, and merchandise them; Marvel can tap Disney’s deep pockets, and its Pixar animation unit, to bring its characters to new audiences.
I’m nervous about what will happen to those “neurotic” and “sometimes downright messed up” characters, said David Hinckley in the New York Daily News, once they live in the Magic Kingdom, alongside Mickey and Disney’s other “comic establishment” characters. If it’s not careful, Disney will smother the “irreverence that made Marvel worth $4 billion,” and we’ll end up with “the comic/animation world’s version of Microsoft.”
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
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.