After the industry-shattering news broke, much of the conversation online and in social media was about what this acquisition could mean for Marvel Studios, which is also owned by Disney.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has intricately assembled a world with a specific set of characters since 2008’s Iron Man, the after credits of which saw Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury teasing Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark about a “larger world” of heroes out there.
Read: Disney to acquire 21st Century Fox, after business spinoff, for $52.4B
But in the past, studios like Sony have owned the rights to some of Marvel's biggest and brightest stars like Spider-Man. Last year, that changed when Marvel made a deal with Sony and brought Spidey into the fold for his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in "Captain America: Civil War."
Earlier this year, Peter Parker was back again in his own film, "Spider-Man: Homecoming," to the tune of $880 million worldwide at the box offices. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 92% Fresh, so fans and critics alike were digging the fact that Tom Holland's Spidey could now fight crime with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, which hadn't been possible before.
Now, enter Fox, which has owned the rights to possibly Marvel's most popular team, the "X-Men," for the past two decades.
PHOTO: Hugh Jackman, as Wolverine, in a scene from 'X-Men 2.' (20th Century Fox)
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In fact, it was "X-Men" in 2000 that really started the genre you see dominating theaters today. The film, starring a relatively unknown Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, alongside Halle Berry and Patrick Stewart grossed almost $300 million worldwide and let studios know that there was an appetite for comic book flicks.
But even with this success and the success of future "X-Men" films, a Wolverine could never team-up with "The Avengers," though the cross-over does happen all the time in the books.
Even Jackman himself has voiced his desire to suit up alongside Downey, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth in a film.
In 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron," Chris Evans wasn't even allowed to use the word mutants, which the X-Men are, (he said "enhanced") because of licensing. In next year's "Avengers: Infinity War," the "X-Men" were a big part of that two-decade old comic series that serves as inspiration for the team's battle against the big bad Thanos.
PHOTO: Tom Holland scene in the movie Spider-Man, Homecoming. (Columbia Pictures)
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This merger may not affect that movie or even the next one, but it could make way for team-ups that fans have never even imagined on the big screen.
ABC News spoke to Marvel editors Jordan White and Heather Antos on Thursday to get their expert take and see what they are excited to see in the future.
"As a big fan of the Marvel movies, I think Marvel Studios knows the characters so well and does a great job with them," White said. "As much as I've enjoyed some of the Fox films, I think Marvel will do an even better job. I'm very excited to get presumably a new take on the Fantastic Four, even a new take on the X-Men."
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