Marvel Comics (or simply Marvel) is an American comic book company that makes "superhero" comic books and the imprint of Marvel Worldwide Inc. (formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group), part of Marvel Entertainment. Its top rival is DC Comics (the publications of Superman and Batman). In 2009, The Walt Disney Company bought Marvel for US$4 billion.
Marvel was started in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics, and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in 1961, the year that the company launched The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and many others.
The company features many iconic and famous superheroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Wolverine, and Captain Marvel. Some fictional teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are very popular. It also features well-known fictional supervillains including Doctor Doom, Magneto, Ultron, Thanos, Green Goblin, Galactus, Loki, and Kingpin. The majority of its publications takes place within the fictional Marvel Universe, with most locations mirroring real-life places; many major characters are based in New York City. Additionally, Marvel has published several licensed properties from other companies. This includes Star Wars comics twice from 1977 to 1986 and again since 2015.