Disney-Fox deal means X-Men, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four can join the Marvel Cinematic Universe

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December 14, 2017 3:26 PM

Disney's deal to buy 20th Century Fox's entertainment assets means that X-Men, Deadpool, and the Fantastic Four can join Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Disney's
Disney will also acquire Fox assets like the "Avatar" series, "The Simpsons," and the first "Star Wars" film.

Fans of superhero films with outsized ensemble casts can rejoice, as Disney's $52.4 billion deal to buy 20th Century Fox's film and TV assets will expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe to include characters that Fox previously owned.

Disney's announcement of the deal was quick to note that it "DisneyX-MenFantastic Four

As Variety notes, Disney CEO Bob Iger also addressed the potential for unifying disparate brands in a call with investors on Thursday, saying, "Fox

The film rights for Marvel characters have long been divided between studios, as Polygon notes. Sony owns the rights to the "Spider-Man" series, and Disney had to license the character from Sony in 2015 to use Spider-Man in the "Avengers" film series.

Fox has owned the "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" series and produced multiple film iterations of the characters. Disney's deal to acquire Fox's assets means that the company will not have to license these characters from Fox, opening up the potential to readily include them in Disney's Marvel films.

The Disney-Fox deal will also bring Fox assets like James Cameron's "Avatar" film series, "The Simpsons," and FX Networks under the Disney umbrella of content.

Iger also noted in his Thursday call that the deal "

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