Marvel is owned by Disney (the United States, NYSE: DIS), which acquired the brand on 31 December 2009.[1][2] Marvel was founded in 1939 in New York, New York and was independent until 2009.
Marvel filed for bankruptcy in 1996 and had licensed away film rights to its best-known characters to survive. Disney bought it in 2009 for about $4 billion, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe went on to become the highest-grossing film franchise ever made.
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Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion. Marvel had emerged from bankruptcy a decade earlier having licensed away film rights to several of its best-known characters, which is why Spider-Man remains entangled with Sony.
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The parent company of Marvel is Disney, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Yes. Marvel originated in the United States in 1939 and its owner, Disney, is also headquartered in the United States.
Disney completed its acquisition of Marvel on 31 December 2009, after announcing the deal on 31 August 2009.
Marvel was an independent company from its founding in 1939 in New York, New York until Disney acquired it in 2009.
Yes. As of 8 September 2026, Marvel is still owned by Disney. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
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