Disney owns a lot of companies, but when did they buy Marvel? Here's how much they paid.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has captured the imagination of moviegoers for over a decade now, with the announcement of upcoming titles like "Captain America New World Order" and "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" whipping the fandom into a frenzy.

Given the somewhat danger-drive plotlines of most Marvel movies, it might surprise viewers to know that the answer to the question "Who owns Marvel?" is in fact the house that Mickey built: the Walt Disney Co.

Although former CEO Bob Iger admitted some Disney execs had originally been concerned the characters were a bit more "edgy" than the Disney brand, the bet to buy the comic-book giant paid off handsomely. As Marvel Phase 5 and 6 make their way to the big screen and promise more box office gains, here's you need to know about the original acquisition.

When did Disney buy Marvel?

Disney bought Marvel in 2009, securing rights to Marvel Entertainment’s plentiful realm of superheroes. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has since been a cash cow for Disney, raking in box office sales with major titles like "Avengers: Endgame" and "Black Panther." Disney+, the company's streaming platform, has also reaped the benefits with hit shows like "WandaVision" and "Ms. Marvel."

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How much did Disney buy Marvel for?

Disney paid a total of $4 billion for the purchase of Marvel. In 2019, CNBC reported that in the decade since the purchase, the MCU had made Disney over $18 billion at the box office.

How many Marvel movies are there?

As of now, there are a total of 29 released Marvel movies, with more set to come out this year. The vast majority of those films were released after the Disney deal.

Did Disney own Marvel when Iron Man came out?

No. The first Marvel “Iron Man” movie came out in 2008, prior to Disney’s acquisition of the comic giant.

Why did Marvel sell to Disney?

In 2009, The New York Times reported that Marvel had trouble financing some of its major movies and meeting a requirement to raise a third of its budget by selling off overseas distribution rights. The company ended up needing to finance that third itself, which would be a great deal easier as a subsidiary of Disney.

Disney, on the other hand, was focused on growth. Iger said of the deal, “There are so many opportunities to mine both characters that are known and characters that are not widely known.”

Iger later wrote in his book, "The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned From 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company," that his predecessor Michael Eisner had expressed interest in acquiring Marvel years earlier, but other Disney executives were concerned the characters didn't fit with the brand's family- friendly reputation.

Marvel and Sony's joint custody of Spider-Man

Spidey is a special case in the MCU as he was not part of the package deal when Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment. Sony had already bought the film rights to Spider-Man from Marvel back in 1999. In 2012, Disney bought the merchandising rights to Spider-Man, but control over the character and how he was portrayed in the films remained with Sony.

Loyal fans were relieved when, in September 2019, Sony and Disney struck a deal to continue sharing custody of the Spider-Man franchise, and Holland's exploits as the web-throwing teen would continue on in the MCU.

What about the X-Men and Fantastic Four?

This is another deal that gets a little more complicated. In the 1990s Marvel sold the rights to the characters from the X-Men and the Fantastic Four to 20th Century Fox. That studio continued making Marvel movies even after Disney's purchase of Marvel Entertainment.

In March 2019, Disney purchased 21st Century Fox for a whopping $71.3 billion. With that purchase came the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters.

Who owned Marvel before Disney?

Marvel Entertainment was an independent company prior to the Disney acquisition. Marvel’s chief executive at the time of the deal, Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, bought Marvel back in 1998 after it had filed for bankruptcy.

After the merger with Disney was announced, Perlmutter called Disney the “perfect home” for Marvel.

What does Disney own?

Lots. The Walt Disney Company is a large umbrella under which many different media companies fall.

Among other ventures, Disney owns:

• 21st Century Fox studios

• National Geographic

• Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products (this includes resorts, theme parks, and cruises)

• FX

• Hulu

• Lucasfilm (Star Wars included)

• ABC

• ESPN

• A&E (This deal included The History Channel and Lifetime) is owned in part by Disney

• Hollywood Records

• National Geographic

• Pixar

Is DC or Marvel more successful?

Marvel. In 2021, CNBC reported that Marvel was highest grossing film franchise of all time. The DC Extended Universe lagged significantly behind in box-office sales.

That said, both have fiercely loyal followings and different takes on superhero characters.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When did Disney buy Marvel? How much they paid in the blockbuster deal.