X-Men Closer To Joining MCU As Comcast Exits Bidding War With Disney

It looks like the epic media battle to buy Fox's entertainment assets is nearing its end. It has been reported that Comcast will bow out of the bidding war with Disney, paving the way for the latter studio to take control of properties such as the X-Men, Alien, and Avatar.

According to Variety, Comcast will instead focus on buying the European satellite TV provider Sky. With no other company involved in this multi-billion dollar bidding war, it looks certain that Disney will gain control of Fox's entertainment properties.

In a statement, Comcast said that it "does not intend to pursue further the acquisition of the Twenty-First Century Fox assets and, instead, will focus on our recommended offer for Sky." In an separate statement, Comcast chairman-CEO Brian L. Roberts conceded the battle to Disney. "I'd like to congratulate Bob Iger and the team at Disney and commend the Murdoch family and Fox for creating such a desirable and respected company," he said.

Comcast's withdrawal follows last month's increased Disney bid of $71.3 billion. The studio had initially bid $52.4 million, but Comcast's higher counter offer of $60 billion in May had put the deal in doubt. Disney has also agreed to sell Fox's sports networks if the deal goes through, following a complaint filed in federal court by the Department of Justice.

The Disney/Fox deal will unite Fox's Marvel assets, which include the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is owned by Disney. Disney itself has stressed this, saying in an earlier statement that buying Fox will help create "richer, more complex worlds of inter-related characters and stories that audiences have shown they love." In addition, successful properties such as Avatar--which currently has two sequels in production--The Simpsons, and the Alien and Predator series will become part of Disney's roster.