The Disney / Fox merger went into effect as of 12:02 a.m. E.T., meaning Disney is now the most powerful media company on the planet.

That also means Disney CEO Bob Iger is a more powerful man than ever before. But what does this mean for Hollywood? Read on and find out what this all means for Disney, 21st Century Fox, ESPN, Marvel and X Men movies joining the MCU…

CelebNMovies247.com has learned that the landmark media merger which has been in the works since December 2017 is finally complete as of 12:02 a.m. E.T. today.

The Disney + Fox merger also points out that Disney could end up with a monopoly on certain types of entertainment. And with regulators becoming concerned the Mouse may be forced to sell off the regional sports networks acquired from 21st Century Fox since they already own ESPN.

Bob Iger had to say about the deal.

This is an extraordinary and historic moment for us, one that will create significant long-term value for our company and our shareholders. Combining Disney’s and 21st Century Fox’s wealth of creative content and proven talent creates the preeminent global entertainment company, well positioned to lead in an incredibly dynamic and transformative era.

Disney paid $71.3 billion for the majority of the company’s assets. So what did they buy? The deal includes 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Family and Fox Animation; Fox’s television creative units, 20th Century Fox Television, FX Productions and Fox21; FX Networks; National Geographic Partners; Fox Networks Group International; Star India; and Fox’s stakes in Hulu, Tata Sky and Endemol Shine Group. Let’s not forget they already own Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar and ESPN.

Where does this leave the X Men franchise and movies since the Disney + Fox deal?

Disney is getting the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four, which are some of the last remaining character rights that Marvel had licensed to other studios in a pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe world, and before Disney purchased Marvel. Now, those characters can finally show up in the MCU, but that won’t be happening in the next couple of years. Movies are already in production and/or filming so not unless it pops up in a post scene after the credits.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is currently being very tight-lipped regarding details on their movie slate beyond Avengers: Endgame.

When will we see Mutants or Reed Richards and the gang join the MCU?

• Well, the Black Widow solo movie starring Scarlett Johansson will enter production this year.
• The New Mutants are set for an August 2, 2019 release, so we hope it still stands and doesn’t stream.
• The Eternals is also going into production before the year is out.
• There’s also Shang-Chi, which recently locked down director Destin Daniel Cretton.
• In addition, there is Black Panther 2, Doctor Strange 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 all going into production in the next 24 months. Thankfully James Gunn is back, so now know the movie will be done right. Meaning these films are coming to the screen in 2021 and 2022.
• As for the X Men franchise, Fox still has Dark Phoenix slated for a June release.
• And The New Mutants, which has gone through reshoots and fixes to the script may not make it to big screen anymore, but we’re crossing fingers. It’s being said the film may end up streaming service like Hulu. We hope not.

Bottom line, Disney will still want to give those versions of the characters a little distance from the new versions they decide to introduce down the line.