Marvel Comics to Leave New York and Move Staffers to L.A. as Part of Major Overhaul (Exclusive)

The Hollywood Reporter ^ | July 16, 2026 | Borys Kit

[Twotone]

After calling the Big Apple home for almost 90 years, Marvel Comics is moving out of New York City. And heading to Hollywood.

The relocation was revealed to staff at a town hall Thursday at Marvel’s New York office in Midtown, where employees were informed that its publishing division will be pulling up stakes and transferring operations to Burbank, California, the current headquarters of Marvel Studios and corporate parent, The Walt Disney Company.

The development is accompanied by a changing of the guard at the top. Stephen Wacker, a respected veteran comics editor who also earned an Emmy nomination for his work in the company’s forays in animation, has been named Marvel’s new editor-in-chief, replacing outgoing chief C.B. Cebulski, who had steered the division since 2017. Cebulski will still remain part of the family, however, as he will be moving to Japan to spearhead the company’s push into manga, among others things, as editor, Asia originals.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: California; US: New York
KEYWORDS: burbank; california; disney; mamdani; marvelcomics; marvelstudios; newyork; wellbye

[iamgalt]

So they go to LA? Into the fire idiots.

[lee martell]

Hasn’t Marvel figured it out yet?
There is much more to the USA than just LA or NY?
It’s not just a Hobson’s Choice anymore.
That’s old fashioned thinking.

What about Texas/ North Carolina/Florida/ Colorado and many other spots, full of skilled artists?
Don’t be an Ostrich, look around and evaluate.

[butlerweave]

Marvel has been dead for years

[Retain Mike]

That tells me they truly clueless.

[Olog-hai]

Burbank, actually. Beautiful uptown Burbank, where their studios are.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that they would stay there.

[Olog-hai]

Burbank, actually. Beautiful uptown Burbank, where their studios are.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that they would stay there.

[Vesuvian]

Talk about bad to worse....

[dfwgator]

It died with Stan Lee.

[Dr. Sivana]

These days, comic book artists can be anywhere. That was a hybrid/remote work job even in the 1940s, though the artists tended to be within driving distance of the publisher. That is unnecessary now, though penciling is still often done by hand.

[econjack]

Exactly. Why in the world would anyone with at least one neuron still firing move to such a business-hostile environment? Being close to Hollywood is like seeking to build a new home in a leper colony.

[VTenigma]

Frying pan, meet fire.

[rktman]

🤣🤣🤣🤣. Seriously? Commie morondami for commie karen. Can I work from home?

[Tell It Right]

calling the Big Apple home for almost 90 years

I guess that's not Marvel comics (early 1960s) but their predecessor, Timely Comics. To be fair, Timely Comics did have a Human Torch (not the Fantastic Four one, but no doubt inspired the FF version), Sum-Mariner (later in Marvel), and Captain America. Which, if I understand it correctly, Marvel bought those characters and resurrected them later. I guess it's a matter of opinion on if Marvel comics dates back to the 1930s (as Timely Comics).

Cover of the first Timely Comics comic, titled Marvel Comics # 1:

[bobbo666]

From one ‘Ellole to another.

Well, they will skip the snow.

[sphinx]

Both changes are meant to reinvigorate the comic book side of the company, which has been overshadowed in recent years by the success of Marvel’s movies, and by a creative slump that saw it lose its position as comics market share leader for the first time this century. Marvel chief Kevin Feige’s installing of the new leadership and the relocation of its comics side to Disney’s Burbank base represents a long-term investment in what he believes underpins the source of Marvel’s storytelling.

Uh ... ok.

Doubling down on blind folly is an old story, but I'm not above schadenfreude.

Let's just pretend that I haven't looked at a comic book for almost 70 years. I don't know how these pieces fit together. But I do know that Marvel, which is now Disney, has been running its movies into the ditch for years. As has Disney itself.

The comic book business is probably too small to count for much in the larger corporate calculations, but my guess is that the Disney and Marvel muckety mucks think of the comics mainly as content generators for (rather systematically bad) movies. If that's the case, put the comic book people in cubicles in one of empty studios that now litter the Hollywood back lots.

But with the film industry bailing on LA and California generally, why inflict this punishment on the pen and ink scribblers? NYC vs. LA is a pick your poison kind of choice. Maybe the move is designed to trigger mass resignations and avoid severance costs. And they'll turn the writing and drawing over to AI.

[PAR35]

Moving out of New York. Sounds smart, someone must have some common sense.

Moving to California. No, they don’t . Just idiots looking for a change of scenery.

At least they aren’t polluting some civilized state with their presence.

[yldstrk]

So they go to LA? Into the fire idiots.
********
Really stupid.

[moviefan8]

Gary Owens - Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
Beautiful Downtown Burbank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAH5ZhIs9Js

[moviefan8]

Smart move. Better to consolidate operations and reduce staff.