Disney announced its deal to buy Marvel Entertainment on August 31, 2009, and the acquisition was officially completed on December 31, 2009.

Quick Scoop: Disney x Marvel

  • Announcement date: August 31, 2009.
  • Deal value: About 4 billion dollars in cash and stock.
  • Completion date (when Disney actually “owned” Marvel): December 31, 2009.

So if you’re answering “when did Disney buy Marvel,” the safest short reply is: Disney completed its purchase of Marvel on December 31, 2009.

A fun way to remember it: the Disney–Marvel era basically starts with the new decade—New Year’s Eve 2009, just before 2010 kicked off.

TL;DR: Disney bought Marvel in 2009; the deal was finalized on December 31, 2009.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.