Disney Shake-Up Casts Marvel Comics’ Autonomy Into Doubt. Marvel Entertainment being absorbed into Disney calls into question what the future of Marvel Comics will look like as part of the company.
Disney’s firing of Marvel Entertainment Chairman Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter has received the lion’s share of the attention of Disney’s business moves today. However, somewhat lost in Permultter’s firing was the fact that it was part of Disney absorbing Marvel Entertainment into Disney proper. This calls into question the future of Marvel Comics, which (along with Marvel Consumer Products) was essentially the only part of Marvel Entertainment left once Marvel’s television and animation departments were removed. The two were merged into Marvel Studios in 2018 as part of some machinations to give Kevin Feige control over those divisions separately from Permultter; previously, the film division of Marvel Studios split off in 2015.
The official stance from Disney on Permultter’s exit, as well as the company parting ways with Marvel Entertainment’s co-president Rob Steffens and chief counsel John Turitzin, is that it is part of a larger cost-cutting measure. According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, this will ultimately result in 7,000 Disney employees losing their jobs in an attempt to cut $5.5 billion in costs. With more layoffs looming, though, there is uncertainty around what will happen to Marvel Entertainment, as it is being absorbed into the larger Disney corporation. Marvel Comics will obviously continue publishing comics. The question is, what will the publishing look like without Marvel Entertainment existing as a separate entity.
One of the aspects of this move that could help Marvel Comics is the fact that Dan Buckley, who has been Marvel’s Publisher since 2003, will maintain his role as Marvel Entertainment President. He will continue to report to Kevin Feige, which could mean some much-needed stability for Marvel Comics, as Buckley has been involved in the Comics division for 20 years. Having a veteran comic book connection could allow for the division to maintain its independence, as opposed to having someone outside the industry suddenly put in charge.
