Marvel Comics is preparing to leave its longtime Midtown Manhattan base behind, telling staff on Thursday that the publisher plans to relocate its operations to Burbank, California. Just over 100 New York-based employees have been asked to consider moving west, with a transition period running through mid-2027. The relocation lands at the same time as a major leadership reshuffle, which elevates veteran editor Stephen Wacker to editor-in-chief and shifts C.B. Cebulski into a role overseeing Marvel’s Asia-originated graphic fiction and manga.
Town hall revealed the plan
The move was laid out at a staff town hall at Marvel’s Midtown office, where Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige joined publishing executives to walk employees through the strategy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet reports that leadership framed the shift as a way to plant the comics group closer to Marvel’s larger creative machine and strengthen the pipeline between print, film and television. A memo obtained by the publication also details updated reporting lines at the top of Marvel’s publishing division.
Where the work will be based
Marvel lists its current New York headquarters as 1290 Avenue of the Americas, according to Marvel. Under the new plan, the comics and franchise group will be based on Disney’s Burbank campus near the Walt Disney Studios at 500 S. Buena Vista Street, per The Walt Disney Company.
Leadership shakeup
Alongside the geographic shakeup comes a change in who is steering the books. Stephen Wacker has been tapped as editor-in-chief, while C.B. Cebulski will relocate to Japan to lead Marvel's efforts in original graphic fiction and manga. “This move will position the team beside our broader creative organization and create opportunities for collaboration across both Marvel and Disney,” company leaders Brad Winderbaum and David Abdo wrote in a memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Wacker will report to Winderbaum, and the memo notes that Cebulski will remain in Marvel's global leadership structure in an APAC-focused role.
What this could mean for New York creators
Industry watchers say the shift tightens the connection between Marvel’s printed stories and its on-screen universe, a trend that has been tracked closely as the restructuring unfolds. Heidi MacDonald at The Beat has followed the internal changes, while Publishers Weekly has pointed out that major comics publishers have previously shifted west to be nearer entertainment studios. For New York-based creators and editors, the decision raises hard questions about whether to relocate, double down on freelance work or rethink their place in the city’s comics community.
Marvel and Disney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. For employees and for the city’s small but energetic comics ecosystem, the planned departure of the Midtown office marks an anxious crossroads, with real implications for freelance editors, artists and the community that has grown up around Marvel’s New York presence.
