Marvel Comics is ending its nearly 90-year presence in New York City and relocating its publishing operations to Burbank, California, headquarters of Marvel Studios and parent company Disney. The move, revealed to staff at a Midtown town hall, is paired with a leadership change: veteran editor Stephen Wacker becomes editor-in-chief, replacing C.B. Cebulski, who steered the division since 2017 and will now move to Japan to lead Marvel's manga push. The overhaul is intended to revive the comics business, which has been overshadowed by the success of Marvel's films and has recently lost its long-held position as the top-selling comics publisher for the first time this century.

The relocation is symbolically significant, as New York is considered the birthplace of the comic book industry, home to legendary creators such as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and the spiritual home of heroes including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. It also leaves New York without a major comic publisher, following rival DC's departure to Burbank in 2015. The decision was reportedly driven partly by the expiry of Marvel's current Avenue of the Americas lease next year, alongside a strategic push by Marvel chief Kevin Feige to consolidate the company's film, television, animation and comics teams in one location to foster closer creative collaboration.