Comics are big business, very big business, with the recently released and quite frankly awesome Batman Arkham Asylum, the upcoming DC Universe Online and Champions Online MMOs, as well as the Watchmen and Wolverine movies as well as countless others.   It's always been quite the entertainment industry for a good many years.  Now it's all set to get a lot more exciting for the Marvel universe as The Walt Disney Company have agreed to buy Marvel and its' huge array of over 5000 characters for a cool $4 billion.

What this will mean for the future of Marvel video game titles from Activision, Sega, and the upcoming Marvel MMO is unsure as Disney are certainly no strangers to the world of video games.

The deal looks pretty sweet for Marvel shareholders who, under the terms of the sale agreement agreement will receive $30 per share for their Marvel stock, plus .745 of a share of Disney stock for each share they own, which equates in real terms as potentially free money.

Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company said about the sale that, "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." He also went on to say that, "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."

Marvel have also issued a press release through their Chief Executive Officer Ike Perlmutter stating their side of the story, saying that, "Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses."  Also added to this was: "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."

Nothing has actually been said about the upcoming games but I'm sure Sega, Activison and Gazillion will all be throwing out their thoughts and opinions in the near future.

As a sidenote, I can't help but wonder if this means Wolverine will now get a singing bear as a sidekick or if Spiderman will join a voyage home with two puppies and a "hilarious" wisecracking octopus with Eddie Murphy's voice or even if Doctor Doom will befriend a kitten called Charlie who will teach him how to love again,  but only time will tell.