Los Angeles, Aug 31 (DPA) Walt Disney Co is to buy Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, the companies announced Monday, giving the family entertainment conglomerate a powerful squad of movie superheroes such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, The Incredible Hulk and The Fabulous Four.

In a statement, Disney chief executive Bob Iger said that 'adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation.'

'We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney.'

Under the terms of the deal, Marvel shareholders will receive a total of $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own.

In return, Disney will get the rights to over 5,000 Marvel characters, many of which have much stronger box office allure than Disney's traditional stable of characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.