Marvel Unveils New Animated Series

NEW YORK/AGOURA HILLS, May
8: Marvel Animation, a division of Marvel Entertainment, will produce a new
26×30-minute animated series, Marvel Super Hero Squad, for premiere in 2009.

The broadcast partner for
the new series has not been announced. Marvel Super Hero Squad will complement other Marvel properties that are
also slated for a 2009 debut, including the premiere of the new Wolverine and the X-Men and Iron
Man: Armored Adventures series on
Nicktoons early that year.

Marvel Super Hero Squad, aimed primarily at 6- to 8-year-olds, will see
characters like Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, Fantastic Four and Captain
America occupying a single caricatured Super Hero City and thrust into humorous
adventures. Along the way, they will have to thwart the plans of Doctor Doom,
Magneto, Loki, the Abomination and countless other villains. Film Roman
(producer of FOX’s The Simpsons)
will provide production services for the Marvel Super Hero Squad series.

"The addition of Marvel
Super Hero Squad to our
ever-growing animation slate extends the life cycle of Marvel's top properties,
opening them up to a new demographic and helping maintain a longer presence in
the marketplace," said Eric Rollman, the president of animation at Marvel
Entertainment. "This initiative is part of an overall strategy to create
new brands and maximize exposure for the characters in the Marvel Universe by
keeping them fresh and relevant for a new audience and to provide a consistent
presence in the marketplace."

To coincide with the
development of the series, Marvel is developing a major multimedia and
merchandising campaign for the Marvel Super Hero Squad brand. Master toy partner Hasbro will handle the
toy line. Marvel Comics is also now featuring Marvel Super Hero Squad comic strips within several of its all-ages books
and will be introducing a dedicated Marvel Super Hero Squad book series in fall 2008. A direct-to-video
animated feature is already in development for 2010. Marvel has inked deals
with Disguise/Cesar for dress-up and Mega Bloks for construction toys.

Additionally, Marvel
Entertainment has entered into an exclusive multi-year licensing agreement with
THQ to create video games based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad franchise. THQ has obtained the exclusive worldwide
rights to publish content for all current and next-generation consoles and
handheld systems as well as Windows PC. The initial Marvel Super Hero Squad game is scheduled for release in fall 2009.

—By Irene Lew