Disney Spices Up Image with Marvel Characters

On Monday, Disney announced its $4 billion purchase of the Marvel Comics repertoire. The deal with Marvel Entertainment will allow Disney to use the numerous Marvel superheroes—including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four—in movies and other entertainment.

The deal with Marvel is part of Disney's effort to revamp its sagging image. The long-standing company's third-quarter earnings were significantly lower than those of last year. Disney Chairman Bob Iger might have hit upon an explanation for these earnings when, at the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, he realized that Disney hadn't created an original, non-Pixar, character in more than 10 years. In addition, Disney hasn't had a non-cartoon hit since the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy.

To make up for this lack of innovation, Disney is making a concerted effort to reach out to all members of its family audience. While Disney won't get to distribute Marvel movies until 2013—the close of Marvel's deal with Paramount—the hope is that eventually Disney can put out movies that will appeal to kids, teens, and parents.