The X-Men & Fantastic Four Are Coming to the MCU
by Dylan Blight
In big news, Disney’s $71.3 billion bid to acquire a majority of Fox’s assets—including its movie and TV studios—has been approved. It appears the X-Men and Fantastic Four are headed to the House of Mouse.
Shareholders gathered in New York on Friday to discuss the potential buyout from Disney, which was originally set in December last year.
According to Variety, Disney shareholders took less than 10 minutes to vote on the monumental deal, which was led by a near-unanimous approval. One shareholder spoke negatively about the Fox deal, stating, “I think we are overpaying for Fox.” In contrast, one Fox shareholder reportedly stood up just to say, “I love Rupert Murdoch,” which reads like a “thanks for making me rich” message.
The $71.3 billion wasn’t the original amount Disney had agreed upon. In December a $52.4 billion buyout was on the table, but in June Comcast made a $65 billion all-cash offer, to which Disney responded with its current $71.3 billion offer—a mix of cash and stock.
One of the reasons people were worried the offer wouldn’t go through was the Justice Department. It has approved the deal on the condition that Disney sells off Fox’s 22 regional sports networks within 90 days of closing.
The deal is expected to be completed in early 2019 and, as long as no other regulators get in the way, the big question on most people’s lips will be: “When are we getting the X-Men and Fantastic Four in the MCU?”
