Walt Disney made the first move in what is expected to be a wave of consolidation in Hollywood on Monday with a surprise $4bn (£2.4bn) bid for Marvel Entertainment in a deal that will unite Iron Man and Spider-Man with Mickey Mouse and Hannah Montana.

The deal, which will earn more than $1.4bn for Ike Perlmutter, Marvel’s chief executive and largest shareholder, raised the prospect of other transactions at a time when the entertainment industry is in flux.