X-Men Might Still Join MCU, As Disney Increases Offer To Buy Fox

While it looked like the deal between Disney and Fox for the former to buy Fox's entertainment assets was done back in February, a higher counter offer of $60 billion was made last month by telecom behemoth Comcast Corp. It has now been reported that Disney has returned with a second offer, considerably higher that the one made by Comcast.

As reported by Bloomberg, Disney has bid $71.3 billion for Fox's entertainment assets, which include the company's film and TV studios, as well as its cable networks and international TV businesses. The offer means shareholders are set to make $38 per share if the sale goes through, which is $3 per share more than Comcast's bid.

The deal is of particular interest to movie fans, as Fox holds the rights to many popular Marvel characters, most notably the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. A deal between Disney and Fox would mean that these characters could become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Disney itself has stressed this, saying in an earlier statement that buying Fox will help create "richer, more complex worlds of inter-related characters and stories that audiences have shown they love." In addition, successful properties such as Avatar--which currently has two sequels in production--The Simpsons, and the Alien and Predator series will become part of Disney's roster.

This bid follows AT&T's recent victory over the Justice Department, which had contested AT&T's $85 billion takeover of Time Warner. A federal judge ruled that the sale could proceed, paving the way for massive bids such as the latest offers from Disney and Comcast. Bloomberg suggests that Comcast could make an even higher offer for Fox, even though it will increase the company's potential debt levels.