Under the terms of the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Marvel, including the entertainment group's 5,000 characters, which include Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America and Fantastic Four.

"Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses," said Marvel CEO, Ike Perlmutter.

"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."