Earlier this week, Disney bought Marvel Comics, in what some consider to be an unholy alliance.
I’m currently at Dragon*Con, home of science fiction, superheroes and fantasy so I’m sure there will be lots of buzz about this purchase. Folks on Twitter are already speculating about what this means through the hash tag #frankenmarveldisney.
So, in honor of Dragon*Con:
What bizarre combinations could the Marvel/Disney federation create? Spider Mickey? HulkBuzzLightyear? Iron Hannah Montana?
The Afternoon Inquisition (or AI) is a question posed to you, the Skepchick community. Look for it to appear daily at 3pm ET.
X-Princesses
…take that however you’d like!
I’m sticking by my first idea, “Hannah Montana: Herald of Galactus”.
Kingdom Hearts 3 (you know there’ll be one) is going to be *awesome*. New York City world, where you can pick up Spiderman and Wolverine as friendlies? Goofy wielding Captain America’s shield? Donald having a wizard battle with Doctor Strange? A boss battle with Magneto?
It’ll be awesome.
I think Disney will screw it up and destroy the Marvel franchise through bone-headed moves by clueless executives who think they know more about comic books than the people who have written, drawn, read and lived them their entire lives. They will cut out and discard its soul and then try to wring profit from the soulless zombie they are left with. They will fail.
Gooferine? Defeating Magneto with fairies? The Spider King?
Most likely none of those things. If they’re intelligent they’ll let Marvel essentially run itself (within reason). If not, they’ll interfere with probably disastrous results.
I’ve not really read anywhere how Stan Lee feels about this.
@Kimbo Jones: Indeed. What I’d heard is that Disney is mainly interested in having more content for their Disney XD teen-oriented TV channel. Getting a chunk of Marvel’s film business is icing on the cake.
I’d be very surprised if they bothered to meddle with the comics at all. They have very little to gain there and a lot to lose, just from a business perspective.
@Tanstaafl56: He’s too busy counting his money. =D
Snow White Mystique. A bad day for dwarfs.
The all mutant Mickey Mouse X Club.
Just imagine a bunch of hyperactive pre-teens with X-Men like powers.
shudder
@MathMike: You imagine it. I’m too busy thinking about Aladdin as Galactus’ herald singing “A Whole New World” while flying on a silver carpet…
@daedalus2u: “I think Disney will screw it up and destroy the Marvel franchise…”
Not much left to screw up. The movies are mediocre at best and all the interesting comics are independent.
@davew: Or getting ended in a snuff fest, in the case of the comics. See: Ultimately Apocalypse or whatever, where they felt it was necessary to have Wasp graphically eaten–in more than one bite–by the Hulk.
Emma Frost and the Seven Dwarves?
Now I’ve got Elmer Fudderine stuck in my head. “Be vewy qwiet. I’m hunting Gawactus. Hee, hee, hee.”
All I know is that the words ‘Iron Hannah Montana’ fill me with an ineffable sense of dread every time I see them.
Just typing them sent a chill down my spine.
OH No! The [Incredible] Donald.
Howard will finally meet Donald!
The Little Ironmaid
@Elyse: The Little Ironmaid plays “Ina Gada Da Disney”
Ah fuck it. I’m making money on the deal and now I own a part of the mouse. Come here you little freak and make daddy happy.
@Tanstaafl56: Didn’t you see the latest issue of Variety? They have the man on a collar out front of disneyland with mouse ears on. He has been serviceing micky all day.
Actually, I love disney. I love marvel and dc and kitchen sink and top cow and dark horse. But they are and always have been a business most of the early comic book guys came up out of the soft core porn of new york city in the thirties. If Sturgeon’s law holds then 10 percent of everything out the combined company will be good and 90% will be crap and that will be pretty good.
Will Cyclops be given the patented Disney princess eye?
We in the Theme Part Industry wonder what will happen to Disney’s rivals. Universal Studios Orlando has a whole section of their park devoted to the Marvel characters. Will Universal be forced to re-theme all those rides with some generic alternative? The Amazing Arachnid Man, Captain United States, The Incredibly Bulky Guy. (He’s not green, he’s chartreuse)
Worth1000 (a website dedicated to leaning and having fun with Photoshop) just had a contest dealing with this. :)
http://www.worth1000.com/contest.asp?contest_id=23840&display=photoshop
@Nick Farrantello: Actually, no. The Universal contract is worded in such a way that they can keep limited rights to the characters for their attractions as long as they keep those attractions open. However, the situation is funny in that Universal is paying royalties to The Mouse.
(I live in Florida. I’m supposed to know this stuff. :) )
I think it could be interesting if they decided to start making their character based comics again under the Marvel imprint. Which I think could be a good thing, because the comics fanbase is aging, and that would be something to appeal to a younger audience. Other than that, I think Disney’s smart enough to not try too much. And there’s not much they can do with movies because the major characters are already contracted to the movie companies for a while. At worst they’ll do about as much as they did with Star Wars. Or that’s my two cents.
I look forward to the “Iron Herbie vs. the Transformers” matchup. Put Nick Fury behind the wheel. (Cameo by Dean Jones and/or Lindsay Lohan as hapless pedestrian(s) squashed by evil Transformer.) Or not.
Herbie, The Destructo-Bug. The Spidey D.A. Cinderella-Warrior Princess. X-Men Makeover. Beauty and Beast.
Mutants of the Caribbean
The Haunted X-Mansion
Great Moments with Mr. Hulk
it’s a small world for Galactus to eat after all