Marvel Comics is the brand name and the main brand of Marvel Worldwide Inc., a publisher of American comics and related media. In 2009, The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment, the parent company of Marvel Worldwide. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman and was originally known under various companies and imprints, now referred to as Timely Comics. In 1951, the company became widely known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in 1961 when the company released The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many others. Over the years, the Marvel brand has become the company's primary brand. Marvel's characters include well-known superheroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Black Widow, Wolverine, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Blade, Daredevil, the Punisher, and Deadpool. There are superhero teams like the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as supervillains like Doctor Doom, Magneto, Thanos, Loki, Green Goblin, Kingpin, Red Skull, Ultron, the Mandarin, MODOK, Doctor Octopus, Kang, Dormammu, Annihilus, and Galactus. Most fictional Marvel characters operate within a single reality known as the Marvel Universe. Most settings reflect real locations, with many main characters based in New York City.