LOS ANGELES—The Walt Disney Company Sept. 24 filed lawsuits in Los Angeles and New York seeking to stop the heirs to Marvel Comics artists and writers from reclaiming rights to characters such as Iron Man, Thor, and Spider-Man, which their relatives helped create.
Disney-owned Marvel is aiming to invalidate copyright termination notices served against the entertainment giant by, among others, the younger brother of the late Marvel figurehead Stan Lee and the estate of Steve Ditko, who together created Marvel superheroes Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and others.
