Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of

Marvel Entertainment Group Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz ...

and

Toy Biz Toy Biz, Inc. (later known as Marvel Toys) was a toy manufacturer, originally founded in Montreal, Quebec as Charan Toys. The company is best known for holding the Marvel Comics toy license from 1990 to 2006. In 1993, Marvel Entertainment Group ...

. The company was a wholly owned subsidiary of

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

from December 31, 2009 until its dissolution on March 29, 2023, and was mainly known for consumer products, licensing, and comic books by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, as well as its early forays into

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

and

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, including those within the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

(MCU). In 2009, the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment for ; it had been a

limited liability company A limited liability company (LLC) is the United States-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of ...

(LLC) since then. For financial reporting purposes, Marvel was primarily reported as part of the

Disney Consumer Products Disney Consumer Products, Inc. is the retailing and licensing subsidiary of the Disney Experiences segment of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, Consumer Products was a segment of Disney until 2016, then a unit of Disney Consumer Products and I ...

segment ever since

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...

' reorganization from Marvel Entertainment into Walt Disney Studios. Over the years, Marvel Entertainment entered into several partnerships and negotiations with other companies across a variety of businesses. , Marvel has film licensing agreements with

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

via

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

(for

Spider-Man films Spider-Man has appeared in film since the Spider-Man (1977 film), 1977 made-for-television movie broadcast on CBS. The motion picture rights to Spider-Man belonged to Marvel Entertainment until 1999, when Sony Pictures bought them for $7 millio ...

) and theme park licensing agreements with

IMG Worlds of Adventure IMG Worlds of Adventure is one of the world’s largest indoor theme parks based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located on Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road within the City of Arabia. The park is divided into six zones or 'worlds'. Two of ...

and

Universal Destinations & Experiences Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX), formerly Universal Parks & Resorts, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates Universal theme parks and resort propert ...

(for specific Marvel character rights at

Islands of Adventure Universal Islands of Adventure, often shortened to Islands of Adventure, is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, United States. It originally opened as Universal Studios Islands of Adventure on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk, as part ...

). Aside from their contract with Universal Destinations & Experiences, Marvel's characters and properties have also appeared at

Disney Parks Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort. Led ...

. On March 29, 2023, Marvel Entertainment's remaining units were folded into Disney's other divisions.

History

Marvel Entertainment Group

Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. (or MEG), incorporated on , and included

and

Marvel Productions Marvel Productions Ltd., later known as New World Animation, was an American production company owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of News Corporation which was founded in 1981 as the television and film studio subsidiary of the Mar ...

. That year, it was sold to New World Entertainment Ltd as part of the liquidation of

Cadence Industries Cadence Industries Corporation, formerly known as Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation, was an American conglomerate owned by Martin S. Ackerman. From 1968 through 1986, Cadence Industries was the parent company of Marvel Comics Group (formerl ...

. On January 6, 1989,

Ronald Perelman Ronald Owen Perelman (; born January 1, 1943) is an American banker, businessman, investor, and philanthropist. MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, his company, has invested in companies with interests in groceries, cigars, licorice, makeup, ca ...

's MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings bought Marvel Entertainment Group from New World for $82.5 million. The deal did not include

, which was folded into New World's television and movie business. "It is a mini-Disney in terms of intellectual property," said Perelman. "Disney's got much more highly recognized characters and softer characters, whereas our characters are termed action heroes. But at Marvel we are now in the business of the creation and marketing of characters."

Public offering and acquisition

Marvel made an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

of 40% of the stock (

ticker symbol A ticker symbol or stock symbol is an abbreviation used to uniquely identify publicly traded Share (finance), shares of a particular stock or Security (finance), security on a particular stock exchange. Ticker symbols are arrangements of symbols ...

NYSE:MRV) on July 15, 1991, giving $40 million from the proceeds to Andrews Group, Marvel's then direct parent corporation within MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings. In the early 1990s, Marvel Entertainment Group began expanding through acquisitions and the formation of new divisions. Marvel purchased the

trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other t ...

company

Fleer The Fleer Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubble gum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until 1989. Fleer originally developed a bubble gum formulation called ''Blibber-Blubb ...

on July 24, 1992. On April 30, 1993, Marvel acquired 46% of ToyBiz, which gave the company the rights to make Marvel toys. The Andrews Group named

Avi Arad Avi Arad (; ; born August 1, 1948) is an Israeli-American studio executive and producer of film, television and animation. He became the CEO of Toy Biz in the 1990s, was the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment and is the founder, ...

of ToyBiz as the president and CEO of the

Marvel Films Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...

division. In 1993 and 1994, Marvel's

holding companies A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own stock of other companies ...

, Marvel Holdings, Inc. and Marvel Parent Holdings, Inc., were formed between Andrews Group and MEG. The companies issued over half a billion dollars in bonds under the direction of Perelman, which was passed up in dividends to Perelman's group of companies. Later on, Marvel and

Acclaim Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game publisher based in Glen Cove, New York. Originally founded by Greg Fischbach, Robert Holmes, and Jim Scoroposki from a storefront in Oyster Bay in 1987, the company built a global develop ...

teamed up to provide a video game license in the early 1990s, which eventually formed into a joint label, Marvel Software in 1994. On July 5, 1994, Marvel acquired

Panini Group Panini is an Italian company that produces books, comics, magazines, stickers, trading cards and other items through its collectibles and publishing subsidiaries. It is headquartered in Modena and named after the Panini brothers who founded it in ...

, an Italian sticker-maker, followed by

Malibu Comics Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (launched as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included ''Th ...

on November 3 and Heroes World Distribution, a regional distributor to comic-book shops, in December. On March 10, 1995, it acquired trading card company

SkyBox International SkyBox International Inc., formerly Impel Marketing, was an American trading card manufacturing company based in Durham, North Carolina started in 1990 and operated until 1995. History Impel Marketing In 1990, The Liggett Group Inc., a U.S. tobac ...

with the acquisition being fully completed later in May. Marvel's attempt to distribute its products directly led to a decrease in sales and aggravated the losses which Marvel suffered when the comic book bubble popped, the

1994 Major League Baseball strike The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitting ...

massacred the profits of the Fleer unit, and Panini, whose revenue depended largely on Disney licensing, was hobbled by poor Disney showings at the box office. A minority of dissidents maintain no bubble existed.

Bankruptcy and Marvel Studios

In late 1995, Marvel reported its first annual loss under Perelman, which was attributed mainly to the company's large size and a shrinking market. On January 4, 1996, Marvel laid off 275 employees. In late 1996, Perelman proposed a plan to save Marvel in which the company would merge with Toy Biz after Perelman spent $350 million for the Toy Biz shares that he did not already own. He would then receive newly issued Marvel shares to maintain his 80% stake. Separately, in July 1996, Marvel filed with the

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

to raise money to create a private entity called

. Much of the money to create Marvel Studios came from the sale of

stock. On December 27, 1996, the Marvel group of companies filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wh ...

. At this time,

Carl Icahn Carl Celian Icahn (; born February 16, 1936) is an American businessman and investor. He is the founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a public company and diversified conglomerate holding company based in Sunny Isles Beach, ...

, an American businessman and investor, began buying Marvel's bonds at 20% of their value and moved to block Perelman's plan. In February 1997, Icahn won the bankruptcy court's approval to take control of the company's stock. Later, in June 1997, Icahn won the right to replace Marvel's board, including Perelman. In December 1997, during the post-bankruptcy reorganization phase, Toy Biz came to an agreement to purchase Marvel from the banks. In December 1997, the bankruptcy court appointed a trustee to oversee the company in place of Icahn. In April 1998, while the legal battle continued, the NYSE delisted Marvel stock. In August 2008, former company head Ronald Perelman paid $80 million to settle a lawsuit accusing him of helping divert $553.5 million in notes when he controlled the company.

Marvel Enterprises

ToyBiz and Marvel Entertainment Group were merged into Marvel Enterprises to bring it out of bankruptcy on June 2, 1998. In February 1999, Fleer/Skybox was sold to a corporation owned by

Alex Alex is a given name. Similar names are Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey or Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Cook (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Forsyth (disambiguation), multiple people * Al ...

and Roger Grass, a father and son, for US$30 million. Later, the rights to names like "Spider-Man" were being challenged. Toy Biz hired an attorney to review its license agreement. Los Angeles patent attorney Carole E. Handler found a legal loophole in the licensing of the Marvel name and was successful in reclaiming Marvel Enterprises' movie rights to its character Spider-Man. Marvel Enterprise organized itself into four major units, Marvel Studios, Toy Biz, Licensing and Publishing, while in November 1999 adding Marvel Characters Group to manage Marvel's IP and oversee marketing. Marvel named its Marvel New Media president, Steve Milo, in November 2000 to oversee its website. In 2003, Bill Stine purchased back Quest Aerospace, a 1995 Toy Biz acquisition, from Marvel. In summer 2003, Marvel placed an offer for

Artisan Entertainment Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until i ...

. A new unit, Marvel International, was set up in London under a president, Bruno Maglione, to extend the company's operation and presence in major overseas markets in November 2003. In December 2003, Marvel Entertainment acquired Cover Concepts from Hearst Communications, Inc. In November 2004, Marvel consolidated its children's sleepwear-apparel licensing business with American Marketing Enterprises, Inc. In November 2004, the corporation sued

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

-based NCSoft Corp. and

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

-based Cryptic Studios Inc. over possible trademark infringement in their ''City of Heroes'' massive multiplayer online game. Marvel settled a film-royalties lawsuit in April 2005 with its former editor-in-chief, publisher and creator,

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

, paying him $10 million and negotiating an end to his royalties.

Marvel Entertainment

In September 2005, Marvel Enterprises changed its name to Marvel Entertainment to reflect the corporation's expansion into financing its own movie slate. In 2007, several

Stan Lee Media Stan Lee Media, Inc. (SLM) was an Internet-based creation, production and marketing company that was founded in 1998, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2000, and ultimately dismissed from bankruptcy in November 2006. In its early yea ...

related groups filed lawsuits against Marvel Entertainment for $1 billion and for Lee's Marvel creations in multiple states, most of which have been dismissed.Gardner, Eriq
"Marvel Dodges Bullet as $1 Billion Lawsuit over Stan Lee Company Is Dismissed"
, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', February 9, 2011. Additionally, a lawsuit over ownership of the character

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple superheroes or antiheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

was filed on March 30, 2007, by

Gary Friedrich Gary Friedrich (; August 21, 1943 – August 29, 2018) was an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' and in the following era, the series '' The Monster of Fr ...

and Gary Friedrich Enterprises, Inc.

Disney subsidiary (2009–2023)

On August 31, 2009,

announced a deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, with Marvel

shareholders A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...

to receive $30 and approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each share of Marvel they own. Shareholders from both companies approved the deal on December 31, 2009; it was finalised on the same day. The company was

delisted In corporate finance, a listing refers to the company's shares being on the list (or board) of stock that are publicly listed. Some stock exchanges allow shares of a foreign company to be listed and may allow dual listing, subject to conditions. ...

from the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

under its ticker symbol (MVL), due to the closing of the deal. On June 2, 2010, Marvel announced that it promoted

Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...

chief creative officer The title Chief Creative Officer (CCO) typically describes the highest-ranking position of a creative team within a media company. Depending on the type of company, this position may be responsible for the overall look and feel of marketing, media, ...

of Marvel Entertainment. In June 2010, Marvel set up a television division headed by

Jeph Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville (TV series), Smallville'' and ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', writer for the films ''C ...

as executive vice president. Three months later,

Smith & Tinker Smith & Tinker was an American electronic entertainment company founded in February 2007 by Jordan Weisman, Jeremy Bornstein, Lenny Raymond, and Kev Ray. Weisman later brought in Tim Lebel and Joe Lawandus. On October 15, 2007, they announ ...

licensed from Marvel the character rights for a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

digital collectible game for Facebook and Apple's mobile platform. On October 1, 2010, Marvel moved its offices to a suite at 135 W. 50th Street, New York City, under a nine-year sublease contract.

's lawsuit against Marvel was dismissed again in February 2011. In March 2013,

Feld Entertainment Feld Entertainment Inc. is an American live show production company which owns a number of traveling shows. The company began with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus before expanding into additional live events, including Disney on ...

agreed with Marvel to produce a Marvel Character-based live arena show. Marvel was also launching a new pop culture and lifestyle web show, "Earth's Mightiest Show". On August 22, 2013, Marvel Entertainment announced that it was working with Hero Ventures on The Marvel Experience, a traveling production/attraction. In April 2014,

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (abbreviated HKDL; also known as HK Disneyland or Disneyland Hong Kong) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It opened to visitors on Monday, September 12, 2005, at 13:00 H ...

announced the construction of Iron Man Experience, the first Marvel ride at any Disney theme park. It opened in 2017 and was built on a location in the park's

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Tomorrowland (Disney Parks), a theme land at a number of Disney theme parks around the world * Tomorrowland (festival), an annual electronic dance music festival in Boom, Belgium * ''Tom ...

. On September 16, 2009, the

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

estate served notices of termination to Walt Disney Studios,

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, and

to attempt to gain control of various

Silver Age The Ages of Man are the historical stages of human existence according to Greek mythology and its subsequent interpretatio romana, Roman interpretation. Both Hesiod and Ovid offered accounts of the successive ages of humanity, which tend to pr ...

Marvel characters. Marvel sought to invalidate those claims. In mid-March 2010 Kirby's estate "sued Marvel to terminate copyrights and gain profits from irby'scomic creations." In July 2011, the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of the State of New York. Two of these are in New York Ci ...

issued a

summary judgment In law, a summary judgment, also referred to as judgment as a matter of law or summary disposition, is a Judgment (law), judgment entered by a court for one party and against another party summarily, i.e., without a full Trial (law), trial. Summa ...

in favor of Marvel, which was affirmed in August 2013 by the

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York (state), New York, and Vermont, and it has ap ...

. The Kirby estate filed a petition on March 21, 2014, for a review of the case by the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

, but a settlement was reached on September 26, 2014, and the family requested that the petition be dismissed. Marvel president of television, publishing and brand

Dan Buckley Dan Buckley is an American publishing executive, who is known for his work as Publisher, and then as President of Marvel Entertainment since January 2017. Early life Dan Buckley was raised in northern New York and later a New York city resident. ...

was promoted to Marvel Entertainment president in January 2017 adding games, global brand management and the franchise groups to his current responsibilities. In October 2017, Ron Richards began working at Marvel Entertainment as vice president and Managing Editor of New Media. Marvel New Media expanded into a new field with the development of a scripted podcast series, '' Wolverine: The Long Night'', announced on December 5, 2017. Marvel and

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

announced on October 22, 2019, a multi-year deal for scripted and unscripted podcast series and themed live events. Marvel Entertainment announced a new pre-school franchise,

Marvel Super Hero Adventures ''Marvel Super Hero Adventures'' is an American short-form animated series based on characters created by Marvel Comics. Aimed at a preschool audience, the shorts first air on Disney Channel's Disney Junior block, followed by the Disney Junior c ...

, in September 2017 consisting of a short-form

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

along with

publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

and merchandise during "Marvel Mania" October. On December 7, 2017, Marvel announced its ''

Marvel Rising ''Marvel Rising'' is an American media franchise and shared universe produced by Marvel Animation. The animated media are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The franchise includes a made-for- ...

'' franchise focusing on new characters as youngsters starting with animation in 2018. Marvel Comics is expected to publish material for Marvel Rising, but delayed any announcement on their material. In May 2018, the Walt Disney Company Australia purchased eight-year naming rights to

Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the suburb of Docklands, Victoria, Docklands in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 199 ...

from Melbourne Stadiums Limited and selected the Marvel brand as part of the name. Since September 1, 2018, the stadium has been known commercially as Marvel Stadium. A Marvel retail store and other inclusion of Marvel would be added to the stadium. In October 2019,

head

Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...

was named Marvel's Chief Creative Officer, overseeing all the creative affairs within Marvel Entertainment in addition to Marvel Studios. Under the structure, Marvel Television and Marvel Family Entertainment (animation) moved to Marvel Studios, with Marvel Entertainment president Dan Buckley reporting to Feige. With the December 2019 announcement of folding of Marvel Television into Marvel Studios came the dismissal of executives of vice president level and above in television and animation under Feige, plus the removal of Brian Crosby as creative director of Themed Entertainment for Marvel Entertainment. On March 29, 2023, Disney laid off Marvel Entertainment's chairman

Isaac Perlmutter Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter (; born December 1, 1945) is an Israeli-American billionaire businessman and financier. Through a variety of sometimes unorthodox business deals, he has been an influential investor in a number of corporations, including R ...

and the subsidiary's units were folded into Disney's other divisions.

Units

Final

* Marvel Custom Solutions, customized comic books * Marvel Brands, LLC *

Marvel Unlimited Marvel Unlimited (formerly known as Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited) is an American online service owned by Marvel Comics that distributes their comic books via the internet. The service launched on November 13, 2007, and now has more than 30,000 ...

, digital reading service *

Marvel Games Marvel Games is the licensing and publishing brand for video games based on Marvel Comics, Marvel properties, and is also the video game division of Disney Interactive. Before the incorporation of Marvel Games, video games based on Marvel propert ...

, the division used for video game promotion and licensing of Marvel intellectual properties to video game publishers, transferred to

Disney Interactive Disney Interactive is an American video game and internet company that oversees various websites and interactive media owned by The Walt Disney Company. History 1995–1996: Formation and beginnings In December 1994, Disney announced that it w ...

* Cover Concepts, Inc. * Marvel Worldwide, Inc., publisher of

, transferred to

Disney Publishing Worldwide Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Experiences, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints include Disney Edition ...

***

Marvel Knights Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Comics that contained standalone material taking place inside the Marvel Universe ( Earth-616). The imprint originated in 1998 when Marvel outsourced four titles ('' Black Panther'', '' Punisher'', '' Dared ...

, standalone imprint ***

Icon Comics Icon Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles, designed to keep select "A-list" creators producing for Marvel rather than seeing them take creator-owned work to other publishers. History Icon Comics was launched in 200 ...

, defunct since 2017 *** Infinite Comics, defunct since 2017 ***

Timely Comics Timely Comics was the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely P ...

, imprint ***

Marvel MAX MAX Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics specializing in comic book media aimed at adult-only readers. It was launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system. History The MAX Comics imp ...

, adult-only imprint ** Marvel Press, imprint of Marvel Comics jointly published with

Disney Books The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Intellectual property holding companies

* Iron Works Productions LLC, movie rights subsidiary * Incredible Productions LLC (Delaware), movie rights subsidiary * : subsidiary holding general rights of all Marvel Comics characters ** MVL Rights, LLC: subsidiary holding Marvel Comics characters' movie rights (film slate contracted with MVL Film Finance LLC) ** MVL Film Finance LLC: holder of Marvel's Movie debt and theatrical film rights to the ten characters as collateral. * Marvel Characters B.V. (The Netherlands) * Marvel International Character Holdings LLC (Delaware) * Marvel Property, Inc. (Delaware) incorporated February 12, 1986 (formerly Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.) * Marvel Entertainment International Limited (United Kingdom) * Marvel Property, Inc. (Delaware) * Marvel Internet Productions LLC (Delaware) * Marvel Toys Limited (Hong Kong) * MRV, Inc. (Delaware) ** Iron Works Productions LLC: subsidiary holding debt to finance the Iron Man films ** Incredible Productions LLC (Delaware): subsidiary holding debt to finance the Incredible Hulk films ** MVL Iron Works Productions Canada, Inc. (Province of Ontario) ** MVL Incredible Productions Canada, Inc. (Province of Ontario) ** Asgard Productions LLC (Delaware): subsidiary holding debt to finance the Thor films. ** Green Guy Toons LLC (Delaware): subsidiary holding debt to finance the Hulk animated shows and animated films. ** Squad Productions LLC (Delaware)

Marvel New Media

Marvel New Media (also called Marvel Digital) is a unit of the Walt Disney Company consisting of the company's website, web series, and podcast. Digital shows under New Media are ''THWIP! The Big Marvel Show'', ''The Marvel Minute'', ''Marvel LIVE!'' and ''Marvel Top 10''. In October 2017, Ron Richards began working at Marvel Entertainment as vice president and Managing Editor of New Media, while Marvel Digital freelance on-air host Lorraine Cink was hired as Senior Creative Producer. Marvel New Media expanded into a new field with the development of a scripted podcast series, '' Wolverine: The Long Night'', announced on December 5, 2017. On April 7, 2018, at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, Marvel New Media announced its new slate. Marvel named Shane Rahmani as senior vice president and general manager of new media in March 2019. On April 10, 2019, a slate of 10 unscripted series including two from Marvel New Media was revealed for

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

. After Rahmani left for

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

, podcast host Ryan Penagos became vice president and creative executive for the organization. Marvel and

announced on October 22, 2019, a multi-year deal for multiple scripted and unscripted podcast series for 2020 debuts. The first four scripted series feature Black Widow, Hawkeye, Star-Lord, and Wolverine, which is planned to lead to a fifth series featuring all four characters. The slate's unscripted podcasts would consist of talk shows, Marvel's history via a modern-day pop cultural view, and popular Marvel franchises-focused podcasts. In early 2023, as part of cost-cutting moves by its parent company Disney, the in-house audio production unit responsible for Marvel podcasts was cut from six to three people. The move also marked the end of the co-production agreement with SiriusXM, making ''Wastelanders'' the final series produced under the partnership.

= Webcasts

= *''Earth's Mightiest Show'' (March 2018–) A weekly variety web series focusing on fandom and Marvel culture *''Eat the Universe'' *''Marvel LIVE!'' *''The Marvel Minute'' *''Marvel Top 10'' (2017–) *'' Marvel's Hero Project '' (November 12, 2019 – March 20, 2020) produced with Maggievision Productions for Disney+; documents youngsters affecting their local communities *'' Marvel's 616'' (November 20, 2020–) produced with Supper Club for Disney+; anthology documentary series features the intersection between Marvel's stories, characters, and creators and the real world *'' Marvel's Storyboards'' (July 23, 2020–) for

; is hosted by

, creative director of Marvel Entertainment, where he interviews guests from various backgrounds to get to know their story with an expected around a dozen 10 to 15 minutes long episodes. *''This Week in Marvel'' (relaunch) *''THWIP! The Big Marvel Show'' *''Women of Marvel'' (June 2014–?; relaunched February 2018–) a female point of view of the comic industry

= Documentary

= * '' Marvel's Behind the Mask'' (February 12, 2021), documentary special produced with Tarmac Creative for Disney+.

= Podcasts

Interview/unscripted

Drama

Former

Marvel Toys Toy Biz, Inc. (later known as Marvel Toys) was a toy manufacturer, originally founded in Montreal, Quebec as Charan Toys. The company is best known for holding the Marvel Comics toy license from 1990 to 2006. In 1993, Marvel Entertainment Group a ...

, formerly "Toy Biz" (1984–2007) * Marvel Merchandising department/ Heroes World Distribution Co. (early 1970s–1975/1994–1996) *

(1994–1997) *

Marvel Books Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

division (c.1985) * Marvel Comics Ltd. (1972–1995; UK subsidiary) *

, LLC (1996–2015), formerly

(1993–1996), a film and television production company; now a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios ** Marvel Films Animation – animation subdivision (1994–1997) ** Marvel Film Productions LLC (Delaware) ** MVL Development LLC (Delaware) rights subsidiary *

Marvel Television Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. Marvel Television was formed as a division of Marvel En ...

, Inc. (2010–2019) now a division of Marvel Studios. **

Marvel Animation Marvel Animation Inc. is an American animation production company. It was incorporated on January 25, 2008, to direct Marvel's efforts in animation and home entertainment markets. The incorporated Marvel Animation included then ongoing animatio ...

, LLC. (2008–2020) Subsidiary charged with oversight of Marvel's animation productions. *** MLG Productions (2006–2011), Marvel & Lionsgate's subsidiary group for

Marvel Animated Features ''Marvel Animated Features'' (''MAF'') is a series of eight American direct-to-video animated superhero films made by MLG Productions, a joint venture between Marvel Studios (later Marvel Animation) and Lionsgate, Lions Gate Entertainment. His ...

*** Marvel Animation Studios (2012–2020) * Marvel Mania Restaurant (Marvel Restaurant Venture Corp.) * Marvel Enterprise division ** Marvel Interactive *** Online Entertainment (Marvel Zone) *** Software Publishing ** Fleer Corporation ***

: Italian sticker manufacturer **

* Marvel Music Groups (1981–1989) music publishing subsidiary *

(1981–1989) * Mighty Marvel Music Corporation (1981–1989) music publishing subsidiary * Spider-Man Merchandising, L.P. (2001–2013) A joint venture of Marvel and Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. that owned the rights to Spider-Man movie related licensed products. * Welsh Publishing Group: children magazine publisher

Executives

Chairmen

* Ronald O. Perelman (January 6, 1989 – October 23, 1996)https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/874808/0000950136-97-000653.txt * Scott M. Sassa (October 23, 1996 – June 20, 1997) * Morton E. Handel (October 1, 1998 – December 31, 2009) *

(April 1993 – March 1995; January 1, 2017 – March 29, 2023)

Vice Chairmen

* Terry Stewart (March 1995 – December 1995) *

(November 30, 2001 – December 31, 2009) * Peter Cuneo (June 17, 2003 – December 31, 2009)

CEOs

* William C. Bevins Jr. (1991 – October 23, 1996) * Scott M. Sassa (October 23, 1996 – June 20, 1997) * Joseph Calamari (June 23, 1997 – October 1, 1998) * Joseph Ahearn (October 1, 1998 – November 25, 1998) * Eric Ellenbogen (November 25, 1998 – July 20, 1999) * F. Peter Cuneo (July 20, 1999 – December 31, 2002) * Allen S. Lipson (January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2004) ; Office of the Chief Executive *

(January 1, 2005 – December 31, 2016) * Executive Vice presidents: ** Alan Fine (April 2009 – ?) ** John Turitzin (September 2006 – March 29, 2023) **

David Maisel David Maisel is an American film and Broadway producer, entertainment businessman and the architect of the self-financed and self-producing Marvel Studios. He is the executive producer of ''Iron Man'', '' The Incredible Hulk'', '' Iron Man 2'', ...

(September 2006 – December 31, 2009)

Presidents

(1972–1973)Lee, Stan, and Mair, George. ''Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee'' (Fireside, 2002), p.5. * Al Landau (1973–1975) * Jim Galton (1975–1991) * Terry Stewart (1992–1993) *

Rick Ungar Richard "Rick" Ungar (; born November 4, 1950) is an American film producer and radio host. He is the host of ''The Rick Ungar Show'', a two hour political and news commentary radio show. Ungar is also the editor-in-chief of The Daily Centrist w ...

(? – November 1993) *

(November 1993 – ?)Freeman, Mike
New world of animation: former Marvel Entertainment chief Rick Ungar will head new division concentrating on original animated series, including upcoming 'Stealth Warriors.'
November 1, 1993. Broadcasting & Cable. * Bruce Stein (? – November 1994) * William C. Bevins Jr. (November 1994 – ?) * Terry Stewart (May 1995) * (May 1995 – mid 1996; October 1998 – November 1998) * Scott C. Marden (interim) (Mid 1996 – September 1996) * David Schreff (September 1996 – ?) * Joseph Calamari (? – October 1998) * Eric Ellenbogen (November 1998 – July 1999) * F. Peter Cuneo (July 1999 – January 1, 2003) * Allen Lipson (January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2005) * Alan Fine (2009–2015) also, chair of Marvel's Creative Committee *

(January 2017 – present)

Others

Bill Jemas Bill Jemas () is an American media entrepreneur, writer, and editor, known for his tenure as president of Fleer Entertainment Group during the 1990s, and for his work as vice president of Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2004. During his time at Marvel ...

, president of publishing and consumer products (February 2000 – October 2010) * Bruno Maglione, president of Marvel International, November 2003 *

(2010–2019), Creative Director (2019–2022) *

, chief creative officer, Marvel (2019–present) *

, chief operating officer (January 2002 – October 2010), chief marketing officer (October 2010 – late 2013) * Guy Karyo, executive vice president of operations and chief information officer (October 2010) *

, EVP and head of

(2010–2019)

Productions

Television

Live-action

Animated

Short series

Film

Feature films

Animated

All the films are made for

Direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

/television and produced by Marvel Animation, except as indicated.

Short films

Notes

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s, Companies, United States, Disney, New York City, Comics 2009 mergers and acquisitions American companies established in 1998 American companies disestablished in 2023 Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange Disney acquisitions Entertainment companies based in New York City Entertainment companies disestablished in 2023 Entertainment companies established in 1998 Mass media companies based in New York City Mass media companies disestablished in 2023 Mass media companies established in 1998

History

Marvel Entertainment Group

Public offering and acquisition

Bankruptcy and Marvel Studios

Marvel Enterprises

Marvel Entertainment

Disney subsidiary (2009–2023)

Units

Final

Intellectual property holding companies

Marvel New Media

= Webcasts

= Documentary

= Podcasts

Former

Executives

Chairmen

Vice Chairmen

CEOs

Presidents

Others

Productions

Television

Live-action

Animated

Short series

Film

Feature films

Animated

Short films

See also

Notes

References

External links