My notion is if DC comes to Orlando, Universal will let go of the Marvel rights.
But why would that happen? Why would Universal do that?
They already control the rights to enduringly popular characters while simultaneously preventing their biggest competitor from using what's arguably one of the most valuable and expansive IPs in its library.
They just spent a significant amount of money redoing and upgrading Hulk.
You're right in that Universal probably would not allow Marvel and DC to coexist at the same resort. Imagine the minefield that would introduce and what contractual terms could cause conflict or even openings for Disney to try to snarl Universal in litigation. How could you possibly market both DC and Marvel characters/attractions at the same level to the satisfaction of all parties? You can't, which is why it won't happen.
But taking it further, why on earth would Universal even want DC for Universal Orlando? Again, they
already have Marvel, which includes an extremely popular roller coaster and what's considered one of the best dark rides ever built, period. That's not just the consensus among the theme park fan community - everyday guests
love these rides.
And what exactly would DC bring to the table that's not already present at Six Flags parks around the country? Dr. Doom and Storm Force are essentially flat rides with extra theming, and I don't see a swap in superhero license changing that - so you get maybe a modest improvement over what you might find at one of the better Six Flags installations. Maybe you retheme Hulk to Superman - but there are Superman coasters all over the country! The novelty isn't there anymore, even with whatever bells and whistles Universal would inevitably throw at it! The biggest opportunity, of course, is switching Spider-Man for Batman... but again,
why would you take that gamble? Why risk giving up Spider-Man for a new ride that might not be as successful? And this is before we even get into the reality that giving up Marvel in Orlando would give Disney access to a pantheon of popular characters that they could leverage!
You might say that Disney could try to buy out Universal to make a deal worthwhile. Again, I don't see it! Disney doesn't have the billions that would be needed to make this happen, and they've already committed to their major expansions for the next five to six years. There's no opening for a Marvel expansion on the east coast, even if they had the money, which, again, they don't.
I think on these forums there is sometimes a consistent and frankly frustrating desire to shake things up for the sake of shaking things up, even if that means dismantling perfectly great attractions in a resort that has far more pressing needs. We need to give up this idea that DC is coming here in any meaningful way.