Marvel Sets New Leadership for Comics and Franchise

Marvel today announced new leadership overseeing its comics and franchise teams, naming Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum as Head of Marvel Television, Animation, Comics & Franchise. He will oversee the creative direction of Marvel’s expansive publishing portfolio, as well as Marvel’s global brand and franchise efforts, in addition to his current role overseeing television and animation. Joining Marvel from Disney, David Abdo will serve as General Manager, Comics & Franchise, reporting to Winderbaum. After a near 30-year career with Marvel, Dan Buckley, longtime head of Comics & Franchise, has announced his plans to depart. Buckley will remain at Marvel through mid-2027 to support the leadership transition.

“Brad’s exceptional creative leadership and David’s deep experience in operations and digital innovation will be a powerful pairing as we begin building out the next 90 years of Marvel’s comic book legacy,” said Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer, Marvel. “Brad brings a proven ability to lead creative teams and craft ongoing, episodic narratives that resonate with our fans around the world, while David offers a strong track record of operational excellence and strategic growth. I’m excited for what they’ll be able to do together.”

Brad Winderbaum is the Emmy Award-winning Head of Marvel Television and Marvel Animation, overseeing Marvel’s diverse slate of live-action and animated series for Disney+. He has served as an executive producer on all Marvel Studios shows including Hawkeye, Loki season 2, Agatha: All Along, Daredevil: Born Again, X-Men ’97, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Winderbaum joined Marvel Studios during the production of the company’s first theatrical release, Iron Man, going on to become an executive producer on Thor: Ragnarok and Black Widow. C.B. Cebulski, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, will report to Winderbaum.

David Abdo is a strategic and results-focused executive with digital expertise and 20+ years of leadership experience transforming and building media businesses. Abdo was most recently General Manager, Disney Music Group, responsible for the day-to-day management of Disney’s global music division. In that role, he led significant expansion in the division’s revenue, resources, and output, achieving multiple record-breaking profit years.

Regarding Buckley's departure announcement, Feige said, "From events like Civil War, Secret Wars, X-Men: Age of Krakoa, and the soon to be released Marvel Midnight imprint, to the expansion into video games, television, animation, and more, Marvel’s influence on popular culture expanded under Dan’s leadership, bringing our characters and stories to new fans around the world. Dan has left a lasting mark on Marvel’s legacy and on the comics industry, and I’m deeply grateful to him and pleased we will have his full support through this transition.”