Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment is an American entertainment company based in New York City. It began in 1939 as Timely Comics, and took the Marvel name in the early 1960s. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko created characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in that period.

The company publishes comic books and graphic novels and licenses its characters for toys, games and clothing. Marvel Studios, a separate arm, produces the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and series. Iron Man, released in 2008, began that film sequence.

Disney bought Marvel in 2009. The brand also covers an online comic service called Marvel Unlimited. Films such as The Avengers and Black Panther are among the highest grossing in history. Kevin Feige is president of Marvel Studios. The company continues to publish new comic series. Rivals include DC Comics and Image Comics.