Tobey Maguire’s emo-boy portrayal of Peter Parker may have made Spider-Man into one of the comic book world’s wussiest superheroes, but news that the franchise is now owned by Disney is disappointing nonetheless.
(Of course, news of U2’s impending Spider-Man Broadway musical hasn’t helped Spidey’s image, either.)
Mickey Mouse and Co. are attempting to attract a wider male audience to the Disney fold by buying Marvel Entertainment Inc. Among the company’s 5,000+ characters are Spiderman, Iron Man, X Men and the Fantastic Four.
The multi-billion dollar deal was announced on Monday. It remains to be seen whether any character’s secret identity will be revealed to be Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, or whether the Jonas Brothers are about to develop superpowers other than the ability to hypnotize young girls with their squeaky-voiced pop songs.
What is the scariest Disney-Marvel superhero you can imagine? Spider-Jonas? Wolverine-Montana? Tell us!
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Jon says...
08.31.09 11:43 am
I am deeply disturbed by this news
Mike Blitz says...
08.31.09 2:21 pm
This is such a huge bummer. I remember when Disney acquired Glenn Danzig as an artist and he virtually disappeared. So much for Marvel’s edgier titles like Punisher, Wolverine, Halo, and anything with material that will undoubtedly be deemed unacceptable to Disney’s gestapo. Hello to the Jonas Brother’s appearing in every comic, the return of Power Pack, and the Captain America musical. This is literally Dark Reign in real life. Smooth move Marvel. You just made your “Distinguished Competition”, Image and Top Cow the coolest comic book companies in the world. Unbelievable.
TedLSimon says...
08.31.09 4:08 pm
Well, I’m not happy about this either. But I believe that IF handled properly it could benefit Marvel and Disney.
Marvel gets a steady distribution partner with deep pockets that has demonstrated it does a pretty fair job on the “add on” revenue generators such as licensing, distribution, etc. And, they have a more consistent balance sheet (remember not long ago Marvel was in deep trouble…the movie hits came just in time to save them…sort of like in a comic book story itself!).
Disney gets a much needed shot in the arm from the hottest growing entertainment segment out there. The Marvel library is rich in characters that are waiting to be tapped and developed (hopefully without including Jonas Bros, Hanna Montana, etc.). It also extends their reach into a demographic that they only tap into on occasion - teen boys/young adult men (sorry, but Mickey and Goofy don’t play with that demo). Why would they want to screw that opportunity up?
Disney also is the company that created Touchstone so it could compete in the more “mature” movie segments (i.e., R rated flix) without damaging the Disney brand…if they follow that playbook, it may not damage Marvel’s brand and also keeps Disney’s brand “clean.”
That’s not to say that strange things have not happened and things have gone awry in the past. After all, there’s a Spider-Man Broadway musical in development (music by Bono/The Edge, directed by the woman who directed Lion King)…I’m sorry, but that feels weird and undercuts the brand to me (now watch it go out and become a huge hit!). One piece of good news…director says that Spider-Man will not sing while he is in his super hero persona (thank goodness!).
One can only hope that Disney’s smart brand executives at the top will recognize that certain brands are not meant to be meshed. And that Marvel’s top executives won’t get too greedy when they see the Disney hype machine and work to help their brand characters stay true to who they are.
Karen added...
Hope Stan Lee got a good cut from this!
Let’s hope the people at Disney have put as much thought into this as you have,
and that they’re not just going to cash in on Marvel any way possible and ruin that brand’s reputation in the process.
08.31.09 4:16 pm
TedLSimon added...
Thanks, Karen.
I think Stan will make out okay, as long as he has any interest in Marvel left in his holdings. The multiple Disney paid was HUGE…lots of happy Marvel shareholders today.
Time will tell if Disney manages this properly. They have some smart people…they know better than to mix fairy princesses or tweeny bopper singers with The Punisher.
09.1.09 10:12 am
Richard Parker says...
08.31.09 11:51 pm
The author of that article is a moron. Peter Parker IS geeky - that’s why the infamous “emo” scene in the third film is so effin’ hilarious. ANYONE who actually reads the comic or grew up with the cartoon knows that was actually a great moment for his character.
And U2 can make a Spider-Man musical if they freakin’ WANT to. They do the theme for the current Batman show on the WB and they are the only band in the world right now other than The Who who can claim to write a new original rock opera.
Idiot.
…Anyway…yeah, pretty twisted that Disney is gonna own Marvel now.
Karen added...
Wow, you actually watched all three of those Spider-Tobey nightmares?
Now who’s a moron?
09.1.09 8:06 am
TedLSimon added...
I agree with both of you. But why not play nice in the sandbox?
Richard’s comment rings true in one respect for me. Peter Parker IS a geek in the early days of Spidey…he was a high school kid science head, awkward socially, etc. But, how about a little more common courtesy…since when did name calling demonstrate intelligence or wit?
Karen has a right to her opinions. And, let’s face it…the movies were not so much artistic successes and great eye candy (this coming from a huge Marvel and Spider-Man fan…know all the words to the theme song from the original cartoon). But, again…why stoop to the lower level.
OK…I half expect pot shots from anyone and everyone, but I said my piece. Let’s just hope that the Disney folks show some respect and restraint in how they manage this thing. That’s something we can ALL agree on!
09.1.09 10:10 am
Some twelve year old girl..... says...
09.2.09 3:11 pm
Why do you have to be mean to the Jonas Brothers? You people better watch out. This website may be gone soon. I’ll get all the Jonas fans on you. Maybe I’ll get Big Rob on you. Don’t be mean to Hannah Montana either because maybe you just might be bombarded by Miley Cyrus/Jonas Brothers fans…. I wonder how many 5-20 year olds (girls AND boys) can you take on in a fight?
Some twelve year old girl..... says...
09.2.09 3:13 pm
btw i actually am twelve
im turnin 13 in october yayyyy im not a kid anymore!!!!!!!
Joe Patenga says...
09.3.09 10:26 am
Hey that’s great. Shut the f— up already.
Some twelve year old girl..... added...
haha u know there r so many jb fans that’d kill u…. nah that’d be a waste of time ur such a loser no one will even bother. how old r u? i bet ur like one of those creepy 40 year old pedophiles. you like to curse at a bunch of children too haha what better things do you have to do in your lonely life besides committing suicide GO F—URSELF
and to those jackasses who call me a teeny bopper wtf is that? im almost f—— 13 u ppl
09.3.09 11:48 pm