Marvel has a wide variety of superheroes. This is the same universe where a bipedal talking raccoon can exist alongside a former-superhero-turned-private-investigator and no one bats an eye. One thing that many Marvel characters, and their creators, share is a home: New York City. However, for Marvel Comics itself, that will no longer be the case in 12 months’ time.
On Thursday, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Marvel Comics will be leaving its longtime home of NYC and moving west to Los Angeles. “Bringing our comics, film, television, and other creative teams together will help us learn from one another, collaborate, and build on the strengths that make Marvel the true House of Ideas,” Marvel’s head of television, animation, comics, and franchise Brad Winderbaum and newly appointed general manager, comics and franchise, David Abdo said in a joint letter to employees.
Employees were informed the same day at a town hall that the comics publisher will be joining its film counterpart, Marvel Studios, out in Hollywood. Marvel Comics is looking to fully move to LA by July 2027, meaning the over 100 employees have 12 months to decide if they want to upend their and their families’ lives because of their jobs or transition to new careers in NYC. “We sincerely hope they choose to continue that journey with us in California,” Winderbaum and Abdo said. “We are committed to supporting every affected employee throughout this transition.”
Marvel Comics is also shuffling its leadership at the top. Stephen Wacker is taking over as editor-in-chief from C.B. Cebulski. He’s a longtime editor who worked on Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s Eisner award-winning Daredevil run, the “Superior Spider-Man” era, and more. He’s also worked in Marvel’s TV and animation divisions, and coproduced the Emmy-nominated Rocket & Groot.
Cebulski won’t be going away entirely; he’s moving to Japan to become the Asia Originals editor for Marvel, the company’s foray into manga. No word yet if he’ll go by his pseudonym Akira Yoshida while in Japan.
What would become Marvel Comics was founded almost 90 years ago by Martin Goodman in 1939 in New York City, its home ever since. Plenty of Marvel’s most renowned creators, like Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, were native New Yorkers. With Marvel trying to capture the world outside your window, it’s no surprise so many of Marvel’s heroes, like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, the Punisher, and many more, reside in NYC.
Marvel has occasionally sent its characters west, like when Kate Bishop set up shop in L.A. or when Matt Murdock practiced law in San Francisco, but they always end up returning to New York. The city is intrinsically tied to Marvel’s comics, even if Marvel Comics will no longer reside there by the end of next summer.