April 1, 1999, was a day worth celebrating in bold, colorful ink for Dunn and Dunn Films!
After seven months of tough negotiations—eight rounds total, with Dunn personally jumping into four of them—Dunn Films and Marvel Entertainment finally sealed the deal. For a cool $80 million, Dunn Films bought out all of Marvel Entertainment's shares. Yup, you heard that right—Marvel's now officially a fully-owned subsidiary of Dunn Films!
This win didn't happen by magic. It was a team effort! AA handled chats with Avi Arad and Ike Perlmutter, Endeavr reached out to Marvel's management, and Warner Bros. worked behind the scenes, making sure Marvel didn't even dream of going solo in Hollywood. Dunn's legendary rise to a top-tier director in just two or three years also gave Marvel a huge confidence boost. Talk about a power move!
That day, with media buzzing around, Dunn signed the stock transfer agreement with Avi Arad and Ike Perlmutter at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. The three of them grinned, shook hands, and the moment was broadcast live across North America. A picture-perfect scene!
What started as a deal between two small companies turned into a nationwide obsession. Why? Because it involved Marvel Entertainment—one of America's biggest comic giants—and Dunn Walker, the hottest director around. Fans of movies *and* comics couldn't look away. Could the rumors be true? Was Director Walker about to dive into superhero films?
Right after the signing, Dunn stepped up as Marvel Entertainment's big boss and held a press conference. Over a hundred reporters showed up, and nearly every entertainment outlet in North America—big or small—was glued to the story.
April 1st is a quirky date, right? When word first got out that Dunn Films was buying Marvel on this day, everyone thought it was an April Fool's prank. But nope—it's the real deal!
"Director Walker, your company basically swallowed Marvel whole. What gave you the guts to pull this off? You're a director, not a comic book guy—how do you plan to turn Marvel around?"
Warner's TB snagged exclusive broadcast rights, so their reporter got the first swing.
Dunn flashed a small smile. "Confidence? I've never been short on that since I started in this biz. The internet age is here, and paper comics are slowly fading out. But I'm a die-hard Marvel fan—I couldn't just sit back and watch a company with decades of amazing history, one that's brought so much joy to people across America, crash and burn."
"So, whether it's personal passion or public good, buying Marvel, saving it, and reinventing it—it's the way forward. Risks? Sure, there are plenty, but I'm all in! As for guarantees… sorry, I can't promise anything. Every business move's a gamble, but I'll do everything I can to bring Marvel back to life."
"I also want to give a shoutout to Mr. Arad and Mr. Perlmutter for their hard work these past few years. They clawed back most of the hero rights that were scattered out there and expanded comic distribution channels. They were already steering Marvel in the right direction. Now, it's my turn to take on this epic, sacred mission—I'll give it my all!"
The reporters' jaws dropped. They looked shocked.
Wait… *this* is Dunn Walker?
He's changed *so much*!
Just a few years ago, at the *Titanic* press conference, Dunn was spouting off wild claims, boasting the movie would rake in at least $1.8 billion at the box office. Sure, he nailed it in the end, but back then, everyone saw him as this brash, cocky, over-the-top kid.
Now, a couple of years later, he's chatting away calmly, poised and mature. No wonder he keeps winning—his growth is unreal!
The reporters stared at Dunn, sitting there all confident and steady, feeling a mix of awe and a tiny bit of disappointment. A big mouth like his used to mean juicy headlines—now what would they write about?
"Director Walker, what's your game plan after buying Marvel? Are the rumors true—are you really making a superhero movie?"
A young reporter from the *Los Angeles Times* asked, her eyes sparkling like a total fangirl.
"Of course I'm a director—I love movies, and that's where I shine," Dunn said, pausing to scan the room. "While we're at it, I've got an announcement for everyone: starting today, the *Spider-Man* movie project is officially a go!"
*Spider-Man!*
One of America's top comic heroes—right behind Batman and Superman—with a massive fanbase. Dunn's words sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd.
"Will… will you be directing it yourself?"
The mention of Spider-Man had the reporters buzzing.
Dunn dodged with a grin. "That's tough to say right now—I need to hash it out with my team. But I'll let you in on a little scoop: this movie's gonna be a *huge* production with a massive budget. None of that small-fry superhero stuff from the past few years. And the director? It'll be a name that shakes up Hollywood!"
"Back in the early '90s, there were rumors James Cameron was dying to direct *Spider-Man*. Could this be your second collab?"
Dunn chuckled. "James and I are good buddies—we've definitely talked Spider-Man before. But whether we team up depends on our schedules moving forward."
"Superhero movies haven't been hot lately. Isn't it risky to sink so much cash into *Spider-Man*?"
"I believe it'll work."
"Twentieth Century Fox has their *X-Men* project in the works—another Marvel superhero flick. Do you think they'll pull it off?"
"I hope so! I've got a solid friendship and great history with Fox."
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The press conference wrapped up, and Dunn didn't waste a second—he bolted to Marvel HQ for a management meeting.
There, he dropped some big appointments:
- Dunn Walker as Chairman of Marvel Entertainment
- Allen Vaughn as CEO and head of the Creative Committee
- Dan Buckley as COO
- Stan Lee as Chief Creative Officer
- Joe Quesada as Chief Content Officer and Editor-in-Chief
- Brian Bendis as Deputy Editor-in-Chief
This lineup mostly kept Marvel's old guard in power with minimal shake-ups. But what really surprised everyone was Dunn's tweak to Marvel Studios.
Up until now, Marvel Studios was just a subsidiary under Marvel Entertainment. Dunn, though, had big movie dreams and wanted Marvel Studios to take center stage.
Here's the thing: Dunn *hates* outsiders meddling in expert territory. In his past life (or, y'know, his wild imagination), Marvel's movie success came after Disney bought them, split Marvel Studios out from under Marvel Entertainment, and made it a sibling company—both under Disney's studio umbrella. That gave Marvel Studios' prez, Kevin Feige, the freedom to work his magic and build the MCU.
Now, Dunn's pulling the same move. He's bumped Marvel Studios up to a Dunn Films subsidiary, equal to Marvel Entertainment.
Sure, that might ruffle some feathers among Marvel's bigwigs, but Dunn's not budging. Movies need to be run by movie people—end of story!
As for who's running Marvel Studios… Dunn's stumped.
Kevin Feige? Right now, he's just a newbie stumbling around Hollywood.
For Dunn, directing films is a breeze—but managing a company, especially a messy corporate giant? That's a whole different beast.
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