You’ve got to give the legal team at the Walt Disney Company their due. They know how make a deal, seal it and then re-seal it.

Last week, as Marvel Entertainment stockholders approved a merger with Disney valued at $4.3 billion, a side deal was struck between Disney and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment for an additional $2.5 million, acquiring “enhanced rights” from the company’s creative side along with exclusive consulting services.

Stan Lee, for the uninitiated, is the former writer, editor and publisher of Marvel Comics and the creator or co-creator of many (but by no means all) of its marquee characters. That’s Stan in the photo above, posing with Captain America (who was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, not Stan), Elektra (who was created by Frank Miller, not Stan) and Spider-Man (co-created by Steve Ditko with Stan).

Stan Lee issued a statement supporting the deal, saying in part: “From every point of view, the merger of Disney and Marvel is a match made in heaven.”

Unless, of course, that point of view happens to belong to the creators of Marvel Comics characters not created by Stan Lee, in which case the deal isn’t so heavenly because they don’t appear to be getting bupkis.

The following is a short and incomplete list of Marvel Comic characters created by people other than Stan Lee, all of who deserve a nice check from Disney, too.

• The Sub-Mariner (created By Bill Everett)
• The Punisher (Gerry Conway, Ross Andru and John Romita Sr.)
• The X-Men’s Wolverine (Len Wein, John Romita Sr. and Herb Trimpe)
• The X-Men’s Nightcrawler, Storm and Colossus (Len Wein & Dave Cockrum)
• Mystique (Christ Claremont and David Cockrum)
• Sabretooth (Christ Claremont and John Byrne)
• Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat (Chris Claremont and John Byrne)
• Emma Frost (Chris Claremont and John Byrne)
• Deadpool (Rob Liefield and Fabian Nicieza)
• Morbius the Living Vampire (Roy Thomas and Gil Kane)
• Luke Cage (Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr.)
• Iron Fist (Roy Thomas and Gil Kane)
• Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu (Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin)
• Howard The Duck (Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik)
• Moon Knight (Doug Moench and Don Perlin)
• Deathlok (Rich Buckler and Doug Moench)
• Black Cat (Marv Wolfman and Keith Pollard)
• War Machine (David Michelinie and John Byrne)
• Ghost Rider (Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich and Mike Ploog)
• Killraven (Roy Thomas, Neal Adams and Gerry Conway)
• The Hobgoblin (Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr.)
• Blade the Vampire-Slayer (Marv Wolfman)

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