Disney Buys Marvel Comics For $4 Billion Cash, Stocks

Don't be surprised to see Spiderman weaving his webs through Space Mountain in the near future: The Walt Disney Company has acquired Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stocks, both companies said Monday.

The deal means popular Marvel characters, such as Spiderman, Iron Man, The X-Men, Captain America, The Fantastic Four and Thor will now be handled by Disney.

Ike Perlmutter, Marvel's chief executive officer, said the deal opens countless doors for merchandising money.

"Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses," he said.