Marvel Vs. DC? Disney CEO Bob Iger Approached WarnerMedia About A Merger Back In 2016

Marvel Vs. DC? Disney CEO Bob Iger Approached WarnerMedia About A Merger Back In 2016

The Disney/Fox merger finally brought the X-Men and Fantastic Four back to the MCU, but had things played out slightly differently, we'd have potentially seen Marvel and DC characters sharing the screen...

By JoshWilding - May 26, 2021 12:05 PM EST
Filed Under: Disney
Source: The New York Times

Earlier today, news broke that Amazon has acquired MGM in a landmark merger. In a piece from The New York Times, it's been revealed that another huge deal very nearly took place back in 2016 which would have seen Disney potentially acquire WarnerMedia.

That means the likes of Warner Bros., HBO, and DC Entertainment would all have fallen under the Disney umbrella, opening the door to a Marvel/DC crossover and Kevin Feige potentially taking charge of that world, too. Heck, we could have even seen the likes of Batman and Superman invade Disney Parks, a pretty mind-blowing prospect when you stop and think about it! 

"In October 2016, shortly before Time Warner and AT&T announced their deal, Bob Iger, the head of Disney at the time, placed a call to Jeff Bewkes, the chief of Time Warner, according to two people intimately familiar with those details," reveals the site. "The Disney leader asked Bewkes if he’d be interested in a possible merger. It was too late, Bewkes said. There was already something in the works. Iger wished him well and hung up the phone."

"Later, Iger called another media chief in the hopes of forging a deal. It was Rupert Murdoch."

As a result, we got the Disney/Fox merger, something that had many consequences. But the most important factor for comic book fans was the news that X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises would come under the control of Marvel Studios and add those characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Now, we may not be getting a Marvel vs. DC movie, but the MCU is that little bit more complete! 

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MrDandy
MrDandy - 5/26/2021, 12:03 PM
No, no, no and no. Stop over consolidating the industry.
grif
grif - 5/26/2021, 2:25 PM
@MrDandy - wont happen. they learned really hard with fox
WakandaTech
WakandaTech - 5/26/2021, 12:04 PM
Thank God it did not happen

I love the competition between MCU and the DCEU

Can't wait to see which one will be better

Moon Knight or The Batman in 2022
The1st
The1st - 5/26/2021, 12:51 PM
@WakandaTech - Are we still calling that a competition? It seemed like one side is clearly just getting an A for effort, but hopefully that changes soon.
VileBlood
VileBlood - 5/26/2021, 12:57 PM
@WakandaTech - "I love the competition between MCU and the DCEU"

Wait, when was there ever even a competition? Marvel Studios have generated nearly $30 Billion at the box-office while the DCEU hasn't even reached a quarter of that during the same time period.
Cbmfilmjunkie
Cbmfilmjunkie - 5/26/2021, 1:03 PM
@obredaan - Marvel also has almost triple the amount of films.

But yes, overall Marvel has DOMINATED the box office and also cultivated a whole new generation of comic book fans.
There are so many people who never picked up a comic in their life who are fans of these properties.

Being a nerd was never cool when I was a kid, it’s cool to see it be cool now.
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/26/2021, 1:21 PM
@WakandaTech - hate to say as Batman dc movie fan it be moon knoeght riddler mask
rkshuttleworth
rkshuttleworth - 5/26/2021, 1:22 PM
@obredaan - Whenever fans are involved, it is a competition. It seems like the Marvel bandwagon is winning.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 5/26/2021, 2:21 PM
@Cbmfilmjunkie - Yeah, Marvel does have almost triple the amount of films. But DC had the same exact opportunity to make just as many films as Marvel in the same amount of time. Instead they chose to take the quick approach and made one Superman movie, then jumped straight into Batman vs Superman lol. That would have been like Marvel doing Civil War after Iron Man 1. Lol

But to be fair, what people overlook is that Marvel Studios is just that. Marvel. Its what they focus on. Making Marvel movies is their entire existence.

There is no DC Studios equivalent. DC movies are made by Warner Brothers, which has other things they focus on. DC is just a piece of what WB makes. So I don't know that we would have EVER seen a world wherr WB put out as many DC films as Marvel, because with their other stuff, they can't focus on DC as much as Marvel focuses on Marvel.

In the end, we're just lucky that Disney has pretty much allowed Marvel Studios to continue operating as is after they bought them.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 5/26/2021, 2:24 PM
@dragon316 - Are you sure it not be moon knoeght taco shoe?
Cbmfilmjunkie
Cbmfilmjunkie - 5/26/2021, 2:38 PM
@CorndogBurglar - I agree wholeheartedly.

Especially when it comes to the whole studios aspect. Warner Bros. has so many things on their plate with DC being just one of their money makers.

Once Disney bought Marvel and allowed them to have free reign over their IP, the game changed. Unless DC decides to create their own studio… They will never catch up.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 5/26/2021, 4:11 PM
@Cbmfilmjunkie - yeah man. Not only will DC never catch up, but they never even would have kept up to begin with, and never will. Just look at all the movies they have planned and how long they take to come out. They aren't releasing 2-3 DC movies a year and never will.
Cbmfilmjunkie
Cbmfilmjunkie - 5/26/2021, 4:30 PM
@CorndogBurglar - well, I do think starting next year they are releasing about three movies a year. Whether they’re good or not or interconnected who knows? 🤷🏻‍♂️
PerrinNation1
PerrinNation1 - 5/26/2021, 11:19 PM
@rkshuttleworth - The Marvel Bandwagon seems to be powered by a normally aspirated 6.6 liter V12 generating around 885bhp with power going to the rear wheels.

bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 5/26/2021, 12:05 PM
I don't think we'll see Disney try again soon, since they're probably busy with their new library in Fox now anyway.

Do hope that whoever acquires it, does look at Disney and thinks: ''hey, maybe DC should get its own movie studio like Marvel has with Marvel Studios''
Odin
Odin - 5/26/2021, 12:07 PM
Keep Marvel and DC separate. Not everything needs to connect to one reality or multiverse.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 5/26/2021, 1:47 PM
@Odin - They've crossed over between mutliverses a bunch of times tho. Fans seems to like it.
BigMikeReviews
BigMikeReviews - 5/26/2021, 12:07 PM
This is the multi billion dollar corporate equivalent to 2 kids playing with their toys in a sandbox.
KWilly
KWilly - 5/26/2021, 12:08 PM
Marvel and DC being under one roof, would be like Apple and Google being under one roof. It's just downright wrong to other companies.
MasterMix
MasterMix - 5/26/2021, 12:12 PM
dracula
dracula - 5/26/2021, 12:15 PM
@MasterMix - Man most of those characters look bad, like they just cut out parts of the regular heroes and taped them together.

Dark Claw actually has a pretty good design though
soberchimera
soberchimera - 5/26/2021, 12:12 PM
Iger just isn't a fan of anti-trust laws is he?
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 5/26/2021, 12:12 PM
Heck, we could have even seen the likes of Batman and Superman invade Disney Parks
GhostDog
GhostDog - 5/26/2021, 12:15 PM
@Reeds2Much -

MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 5/26/2021, 12:12 PM
I wonder why Bob iger hasn't called me about a merger yet. He'd have everything under one roof and I'd have everything as well
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