Perhaps crucial factor to think about when this proposed deal is a deal that Iger, Disney’s present CEO, put collectively up to now. Coincidentally, it additionally needed to do with lingering character rights and was additionally carried out with NBCUniversal. Particularly, we should always have a look at Oswald the Fortunate Rabbit and the deal that was carried out in 2006 that led to Disney regaining the rights to that character after almost 80 years.

Briefly, Walt Disney created Oswald the Fortunate Rabbit in 1927 earlier than Mickey Mouse, with the character occurring to star in a sequence of very profitable shorts. That contract was with Common and, when the deal expired, a deal for the rights couldn’t be agreed upon, leaving Oswald within the palms of producer Christopher Mintz and Common. And there they stayed till an odd state of affairs arose in 2006 involving sportscaster Al Michaels.

As soon as Disney acquired the rights for “Monday Evening Soccer,” which might transfer to ESPN, Michaels wished out of the contract he had just lately signed. So, Iger cooked up a deal whereby Michaels could possibly be “traded” to NBC in alternate, partially, for the rights to Oswald the Fortunate Rabbit. Common offloaded some rights they have been doing nothing with, and Disney received again an important legacy character created by Walt Disney himself.

That is to say, a weird but mutually helpful deal between these two huge media corporations occurred earlier than. Will it occur once more? We’ll see what 2024 brings when the time comes for the Hulu deal to be sorted out. However this could possibly be Disney’s greatest shot at bringing a few of these lingering Marvel character rights dwelling.