A Big Reason Disney Wants Fox Is So They Can Consolidate All Marvel Characters

21st Century Fox is keen to shed its entertainment divisions, and has reportedly been in talks with Disney about a landmark deal.

That’s the news that almost brought the Internet to a standstill earlier this week, though The Wall Street Journal has since warned that the companies are no longer actively discussing the deal. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s off the table, merely that the acquisition is a long, long way from being signed, sealed and delivered.

And though the X-Men and/or Fantastic Four crossing over into Marvel‘s cinematic universe is the stuff comic book dreams are made of, there’s always the possibility that Disney would simply keep the X-Men universe running just as it currently is. After all, with its newfound emphasis on spinoff movies like Logan and Deadpool and successful TV series, the franchise is in very healthy shape.

According to The Wall Street Journal, though, it doesn’t sound like that’s what the House of Mouse plans to do. According to them, one of the main reasons Disney is so interested in purchasing Fox is so that they can secure the rights to the Marvel characters that their rival studio currently owns – those being the X-Men, Fantastic Four and a few others – and consolidate them all under the same banner.

This would seem to suggest that they want to build one, cohesive shared universe, and while that’s certainly very exciting, there are potential drawbacks that could stem from the two toy boxes becoming one. As Ryan Reynolds pointed out, what would such a venture mean for the likes of Deadpool, whose R-rated humour would surely clash with the House of Mouse’s family-friendly image? Ditto for other edgy properties like X-Force and even that potential X-23 spinoff.

Right now, though, it’s not worth speculating too much on this, as nothing’s been confirmed just yet and as we mentioned above, discussions are no longer actively taking place. Sure, the entire landscape of superhero cinema could be completely rewritten, or nothing at all could change. It’s definitely an exciting prospect, though, and fans will no doubt be eagerly awaiting more news on the topic, hoping for that day when all their favorite Marvel characters exist under the same roof.