Marvel will no longer be involved in direct toy operations, it said, to increase its focus on entertainment and licensing opportunities. The company is also looking ahead to its next three years of character franchises — including an Iron Man 2 film to be released on April 30th, 2010.

Following the Iron Man sequel in April, Marvel will follow up with Thor on June 4th, 2010. Also up ahead? An "Avengers-themed summer," with two Avengers movies planned for May (The First Avenger: Captain America) and July of 2011 (The Avengers). The results announcement didn't reveal whether video game tie-ins were planned for the upcoming films — but it did show that they're working on a Spider-Man musical with music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge.

Marvel chairman Morton Handel said, "Marvel's self-produced feature film slate launched this past weekend with a performance that firmly establishes Iron Man as a major new film franchise, and the Company eagerly awaits the June premiere of The Incredible Hulk, Marvel's second self-produced film. In addition, Marvel has been investing in other important areas of growth such as the Internet where, to lead the Company's newly formed Global Digital Media Group, Marvel recently announced the hiring of Ira Rubenstein. Marvel has a strong foundation to build from, and the Company is adding infrastructure to maximize these opportunities."

On second thought I'm only giving them credit for three, since one of them was dead when they found him. It's really easy to capture dead people, take it from me.

The Incredible Hulk will be getting a game based off of the upcoming cinematic apology in 2008, with Cap and the mighty Assguard Asgardian getting their movie and game twofers sometime in 2009.

Interesting to note that SEGA now has four out of six of the original Avengers in their stable (I know the Hulk left and Cap didn't show up till issue 4, but he was given honorary founding member status - don't try to outgeek me), and how hard can it be to secure the Ant Man/Giant Man and Wasp licenses? Hell, if SEGA doesn't act fast, I might pick them up myself to create a domestic abuse simulator. Michael Fahey

MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT AND SEGA PARTNER TO CREATE CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE INCREDIBLE HULK AND THOR VIDEO GAMES

Relationship between Companies Expands and Builds on Previously Announced Iron Man Game

New York, NY, April 18, 2007 - Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL), SEGA Europe Ltd and SEGA of America, Inc. have expanded their relationship to include the rights to develop and distribute games inspired by Marvel's Hall-of-Fame franchises - Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Thor. Through the exclusive, multi-year global licensing agreement, SEGA will create titles for console, handheld and PC platforms based upon both the classic comic books and planned feature film adaptations of these world-renowned Super Heroes. The deal follows Marvel and SEGA's announcement to create titles based on Super Hero favorite Iron Man, with both game and film slated to be released in Summer 2008.

"Video games are an ideal medium to showcase the appeal and excitement of our Super Hero franchises," said David Maisel, Chairman, Marvel Studios. "SEGA is one of the industry's most innovative game developers and we are thrilled to partner with them to bring Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Thor to the video gaming arena. These franchises represent three of Marvel's most popular characters and lend themselves to captivating game play. We have already seen SEGA's passion for the Marvel Universe through the early development of the Iron Man video game, and we look forward to working closely with them over the next few years to maximize the potential of these franchises in the interactive entertainment space."

Under the expanded agreement, SEGA will develop a title to be based on Marvel Studios' highly-anticipated The Incredible Hulk feature film. The film will return the larger-than-life Super Hero to the roots of the long-running comic series and television show with an all-new action-packed storyline directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2, Unleashed). The Incredible Hulk video game will be released in the same timeframe as the film. Games based on Captain America and Thor will follow, though the timing of those feature film projects, currently in development, has not yet been determined.

"We are excited to broaden our partnership with Marvel, a recognised leader and innovator in the entertainment industry," said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America. "As SEGA continues to create games that are built from the ground up to appeal to Western audiences it makes perfect sense to work with a powerhouse like Marvel. Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Thor are icons that people are already familiar with and love, so our goal is to give gamers the ability to play out their fantasies by actually becoming these Super Heroes. Fans can now not only watch them in movies and read about them in comic books, but also literally control their actions through the video games we are creating. We look forward to bringing these icons to life like never before and putting the power in the hands of the fans."

Ryan Penagos and Greg Draudt over at Marvel.com take an in-depth look at the history of Captain America in video games, from the primitive beginnings all the way up to the upcoming Marvel Trading Card Game for the DS, PSP, and PC. Michael Fahey

Captain America in Video Games: A Retrospective [Marvel.com]