The CRAZY History Of Doctor Who And Disney

In 2009, Disney bought Marvel Entertainment, a multi-billion-dollar deal that has dramatically changed the face of film and television.

However, one intriguing aspect of Disney's Marvel buyout that often goes overlooked is that they technically purchased the rights to Doctor Who's comic-book adventures too.

In 1979, Marvel UK became the license holders to publish original Doctor Who comics, leading to the publication of Doctor Who Weekly, which is now known as Doctor Who Magazine.

Bizarre though it may seem, this means that the Doctor is a Marvel Comics character – though there would obviously be more complicated rights issues to sort before Ncuti Gatwa could turn up in Avengers Secret Wars.

Interestingly though, the Doctor has crossed over with some beloved Marvel characters, and one very niche one. In the late 1980s, Marvel UK published The Incredible Hulk Presents, a weekly comic for kids which featured original Doctor Who comic-strip adventures revolving around the Seventh Doctor.

The niche Marvel character Death's Head even stepped inside the Seventh Doctor's TARDIS in the story "Time Bomb!" in which Death's Head was hired to kill the Doctor. During this story, the Seventh Doctor lands the TARDIS on top of the Four Freedoms Plaza – which is the home of the Fantastic Four!

If Pedro Pascal walks past the TARDIS in the MCU's upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, now you know why.