Marvel Comics relocates headquarters from New York to Burbank, names new editor-in-chief

Marvel Comics, a division of the Walt Disney Company, announced to staff this morning that it is relocating its comics publishing division from its longtime headquarters in Manhattan to Burbank, California — the home of Disney and Marvel Studios. The company also announced that longtime editor Stephen Wacker will replace C.B. Cebulski as editor-in-chief, a role Cebulski had held since 2017.

A Strategic Shift to the West Coast

In many ways, it is unsurprising that Disney is uniting Marvel’s publishing and film units in Burbank. Comic-based movies, media, and games supplanted comics publishing as the economic driver of the business two decades ago. Longtime rival DC decamped from New York to Burbank in 2015, a move also accompanied by a change in company leadership.

An internal Marvel company survey revealed that more Marvel creators now hail from the West Coast than from the region near New York, and geography has become largely irrelevant to the production of comics.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the story of Marvel’s move, the lease at Marvel’s midtown New York offices was set to expire, forcing the company into a real estate decision. The move to Burbank will require the relocation of around 100 staffers. Marvel says it will help prepare those employees and their families for the move over the summer.

Leadership Change at the Top

Cebulski’s departure was also not a surprise. Though he could claim a range of creative and commercial successes in his decade-long leadership, Marvel’s sales have slipped in recent years, falling behind DC for the first time in a long time, according to industry sales data.

With longtime Marvel President Dan Buckley stepping down in May, replaced by Brad Winderbaum (head of TV, animation, comics, and franchise) and David Abdo (general manager, comics and franchise), it seemed likely that Marvel would get new editorial leadership sooner rather than later.

Stephen Wacker Takes the Helm

Wacker will step into the role once held by industry legends Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Jim Shooter, among others. Wacker has been behind some of Marvel’s most interesting and popular comics of the past few decades, including Brand New Day and Superior Spider-Man. He is well-liked within the industry and well-regarded by creative colleagues both at Marvel and at other stops in his career, including DC and Jonathan Hickman’s 3W3M.

According to Marvel’s announcement:

Wacker “served as the editor behind the Eisner Award-winning comic series Daredevil and Hawkeye, the critically acclaimed relaunch of Captain Marvel, the introduction of Kamala Khan, A.K.A. Ms. Marvel, and the Marvel Infinity Comic series It’s Jeff! He also brings experience from the film and TV side, particularly on animated shows like Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy, which all fused elements from film and comics to provide an accessible onramp into Marvel lore for younger and tween-age viewers.”

Wacker’s Statement

“Picking up Marvel Two-in-One #50 as a kid is what made me a comics fan, so returning to Marvel as Editor-in-Chief is a full-circle moment that I'm still wrapping my head around,” said Wacker. “I’m proud to join Kevin, Brad, David, and this incredible staff and amazing array of talent to build on the work started by Stan, Jack, Steve, Flo, John, and so many more. I truly believe the best Marvel comics have yet to be written and drawn, and I can't wait to get to work adding some new floors to the House of Ideas.”

A Historic Departure

While big moves at Marvel were almost overdetermined, the dramatic nature and timing of them still hits hard. Marvel, like almost all of the American comic book industry, began in New York in the 1930s and has called the city home for nearly a century.