Why Par, not Disney, gets 'Avengers' credit

'The Avengers,' which assembles the titular superheroes from the 'Iron Man,' 'Thor' and 'Captain America' pics, bows May 2012.Nearly a year after Disney brokered a deal with Paramount to take over the marketing and distribution of "The Avengers," the Mouse House is curiously missing from the first marketing materials for the superhero pic.Disney's logo wasn't on the teaser poster presented at Comic-Con in San Diego this summer, and the studio also doesn't appear in the first full trailer that went online Tuesday -- just days before NY Comic-Con kicks off Thursday. Instead, it's Paramount that's prominently displayed alongside Marvel Studios.Knowing Disney wanted to turn "The Avengers" into a franchise and bank on the success of "Iron Man" after buying Marvel for $4 billion, Par's brass negotiated a deal in which the studio continues to collect 8% of the B.O. as part of the fee it would have earned for distributing the pic -- as it did with the first two "Iron Man" films, "Thor" and "Captain America." It gets 9% for "Iron Man 3." At the very minimum, it gets $115 million, should the pics not perform at the B.O. At the same time, the deal granted Par placement on the marketing materials for both titles, even though Marvel Studios' films are fully owned by Disney and will be solely distributed and marketed by the Mouse House, Variety learned. Because of the ownership, Disney wants Marvel to get the spotlight, since Marvel = Disney.Still, pay TV rights for "The Avengers" belong to Par's Epix, not Starz, through which Disney releases its pics."The Avengers," which assembles the titular superheroes from the "Iron Man," "Thor" and "Captain America" pics, bows May, while "Iron Man 3" is out May 2013."In completing this agreement, Disney will leverage these two highly anticipated films across the multiple global platforms of the Walt Disney Co.," studio chairman Rich Ross said Oct. 18, 2010, when the deal was announced.Unfortunately for Disney, moviegoers will think they belong to Paramount.To a point: Whenever "The Avengers" is discussed, it's Disney that's managing the superheroes. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com