Marvel Comics to move publishing operations to California, source says

Marvel Comics will move its publishing division from New York City to Burbank, California, ending the comic book publisher’s nearly 90-year presence in the city where it was founded, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Employees were informed at a town hall meeting at Marvel’s Midtown Manhattan office that the publishing unit would move to Burbank, home to Marvel Studios and parent Walt Disney’s entertainment operations, according to the source, who spoke anonymously, because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The move comes alongside a leadership shake-up at the comics division. Stephen Wacker, a longtime Marvel editor and producer, has been named editor-in-chief, replacing C.B. Cebulski, who has led the division since 2017.

New York was home to many of Marvel’s most influential creators, including Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and served as the setting for several of its best-known characters and teams, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.

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Marvel is now seeking to have all of the New York-based employees of the comics and franchise group, just over 100 people, relocate to California by July next year, according to the source.

The relocation reflects Marvel’s push to more closely align its comics division, the source of many of its characters and storylines, with its film, television and animation businesses.

The changes come as Marvel is betting on a year-end release of “Avengers: Doomsday” to revive momentum in its film franchise after several recent releases failed to match the box-office success of the studio’s earlier blockbuster run.