The deal opens a new chapter in Disney's long history, adding a slew of new, globally recognized movie characters - such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor - to its deep bench of classic and contemporary icons. It also adds countless lesser-known storylines and characters that Disney hopes to introduce to the world.

This marks the first big media deal since companies began hoarding cash last fall during the global financial crisis. Aside from the economic downturn, Disney's move amounts to a rare display of confidence in an industry that's muddling though a daunting transition to digital media amid growing doubts about its traditional business models.

Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger said during a conference call Monday that Marvel was an attractive target for Disney despite the challenges facing the media industry, such as the decline of DVD sales, that has hurt profitability at major film studios.

"They're not bulletproof," said Iger. "They are not immune from the changes that we're seeing, but they have established a footing that we think is more solid than what you typically see in the nonbranded non-character driven movie."