Under the agreement, Disney will acquire ownership of Marvel's 5,000 characters, including 'Captain America and 'The Fantastic Four', enabling the firm to add edgier, more violent characters to its generally wholesome family creations such as 'Mickey Mouse', 'Hannah Montana' and the 'Lion King'.
Robert Iger, president and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, said: "This transaction combines Marvel's strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including 'Iron Man', 'Spider-Man', 'X-Men', 'Captain America', 'Fantastic Four' and 'Thor' with Disney's creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories.
"Ike Perlmutter and his team have done an impressive job of nurturing these properties and have created significant value.
"We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney."
Disney shares account for about 40% of the buyout price. Based on the closing price of Disney stock on Friday August 28, the transaction value is $50 per Marvel share, a premium of almost $12 per share based on Friday's closing price, or about $4bn.
Ike Perlmutter, chief executive of Marvel and its largest shareholder, will earn more than $1.4bn from the deal.
He will oversee Marvel's properties, and will work directly with Disney's global lines of business to build and further integrate these properties.
Perlmutter said: "Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses.
"This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney's tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world."
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
In August, , which it claimed is the UK's first boy-focused, girl-inclusive channel for children aged six to 14.
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