Hold on to your ears, true believers. Marvel shareholders approved the Disney takeover earlier this week. The deal, which was valued at about $4.3 billion, went into effect on Thursday. Now, many fans are wondering what will happen to their beloved characters.

As we noted in August, things will stay the same, at least initially. Universal Studios will continue their relationship with the Marvel characters and Hasbro expects to continue to produce toys through 2017. As for movies, there’s a lot going on. Thor starts filming this month, Captain America is scheduled to begin production and July and Iron Man 2 should be released this May.

In other words, it doesn’t look like Mickey has Spidey in his clutches.

Yet.

Earlier today, geeks everywhere were shocked to learn of Disney’s acquisition of Marvel. According the the press release, “[The] acquisition highlights Disney’s strategic focus on quality branded content, technological innovation and international expansion to build long-term shareholder value.” In other words, HOLY CRAP MICKEY MOUSE PWNS SPIDER MAN.

So what does this mean for both companies, and for the fans? We took a look around, and here’s what we found.

Theme Parks

For years, Universal Studio’s parks have featured many of the Marvel characters. Specifically, there’s an Incredible Hulk roller coaster, a Spider Man immersive experience and walk-around characters like Wolverine and Captain America. There’s also a Universal Studios park right next to Disney World in Orlando. Will this deal change things? According to The LA Times, the answer is “No.”

‘“Our agreement with Marvel stands for as long as we follow the terms of our existing contract and for as long as we want there to be a Marvel Super Hero Island,’ said Universal Studios Florida spokesman Tom Schroder.”

Additionally, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said his company will honor the current relationship between Marvel and Universal, though Disney will “…use Marvel where we can on Disney platforms and in Disney places.”

In short: Marvel stays at Universal, will probably crop up at Disney, too.

Toys & Merchandise

Hasbro has been making the Marvel toys and, according to Reuters, they could be in trouble. Even though they’re contracted with Marvel through 2017, what happens then is up for grabs. After all, Disney has a longer-standing relationship with Mattel. From Reuters:

“…But the biggest lost opportunity may be on TV — analysts had expected Marvel’s relationship with Hasbro to extend onto screens.

In April, Hasbro signed a deal with Discovery to develop a kids’ TV network. Analysts say the Spidey-Mickey deal leaves the No. 2 U.S. toymaker in a spot.

‘We view this as a lost opportunity for 3rd party content as we had thought it was probable that Marvel-related TV content over time would gravitate toward the Hasbro/Discovery joint venture given Hasbro’s long-term licensing agreement with Marvel,’ Wells Fargo Securities analyst Tim Conder said in a research note.”

In short: Expect things to remain the same until 2017, and huge changes after that.

What does Stan Lee think?

Lest we forget Spidey’s father? What does Stan think of the whole thing? Here’s the answer, true believers, according to The New York Times:

“I couldn’t be happier with this agreement. It’s great move for Disney, for Marvel and for my company Pow! Entertainment since Pow! has a first look deal with Disney. From every possible point of view, the merger of Disney and Marvel is a match made in heaven. Just imagine, with this deal Marvel gives Disney a library of literally hundreds of unique and colorful characters that have the potential to make great, high-concept movies and long-lasting franchises — and nobody knows how to play in that ball park better than Disney. This is a great day for the two companies and for the entertainment community as a whole. To sum it up as simply as possible, when you combine the best with the best, everyone wins!”

In short: Stan’s happy. And that’s a good thing.

Earlier this week, Dark Horse released Star Wars comics for the iPhone, which is a first. In fact, they’ve released seven issues across three titles. I checked out one title this afternoon and I’ve got to say, I’m disappointed.

The first title, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Shipyards of Doom [App Store link] is based upon Cartoon Network’s The Clone Wars. Upon launch, you’ve got a few options. Choose between a curl, fade or slide transition or have each page auto-advance after a designated amount of time. Additionally, you may jump to any page you like.

As for the comic itself, the artwork is rather dull. Not all of it, mind you, but several panels are quite plain. I understand that not every scene can be full of whiz-bang action, but there were enough boring panels for me to notice. The story is on par with an episode of The Clone Wars, so if you like the show you’ll like this issue.

As for the others, there are three issues under Star Wars: Empire, [App Store link] which are set just weeks before the events of episode IV, A New Hope. Finally, two issues of Star Wars: Legacy [App Store link] are set 100 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Each issue costs $0.99US.

Ultimately, they’re OK. A fun bit of Star Wars and definitely worth a buck. But not stellar Star Wars at all. Check out the gallery below for screen shots.

[Via The Flickcast]

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