This week in MarvelBlog News, the entire future of Marvel has been called into question.
Apparently, Marvel special effects and marketing are about to look a LOT different.
Photo: The Undefeated
Let’s discuss a truly unexpected turn of events.
What Just Happened?
Photo: Disney/Image Group LA via Getty Images
Layoffs. Layoffs just happened. These occurred at The Walt Disney Company.
Disney, the owner of Marvel, confirmed that it would perform 1,000 layoffs.
Photo: Michael Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock
This rumor arose about ten days ago, and then Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro confirmed it on Tuesday.
What nobody knew at the time was how much this particular batch of layoffs would impact Marvel.
Image: Deadline
The previous report had suggested that Disney would mostly address its marketing department.
The company had recently reorganized this unit under Asad Ayaz, which created some redundancy.
Image: Marvel Studios
Generally, when a business reorganizes an entire division, layoffs are inevitable.
For this reason, most of us underreacted to the original report…which didn’t tell the whole story.
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
Later that day, the full story dropped on Deadline, and it was quite the surprise.
According to the report, Disney laid off Marvel staff members at “both the offices of Marvel Entertainment in New York and Marvel Studios in Burbank.”
(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney )
Overall, eight percent of Marvel’s workforce lost their jobs this past week.
Notably, The Wrap spoke with a Disney executive who pushed back on that number, claiming it’s “much smaller.”
Source: Marvel Studios
To all affected, you have my sympathy, as that’s always a brutal turn of events.
To Marvel fans, well, this is an alarming turn of events for several reasons.
Photo: Marvel
The studio has struggled mightily during the 2020s, and this move reeks of a lack of brand confidence.
Disney clearly doesn’t believe that Marvel is pulling its weight and has acted accordingly.
Historically, Kevin Feige could have had anything he wanted at Marvel since it was the breadwinner.
Now that the studio isn’t earning as much revenue per film, its budgeting got called into question.
Image: Marvel
In the process, many Hollywood alarmists are saying, “I told you so.” Here’s why.
Who Got Laid Off…
Image: Marvel
According to Deadline, the layoffs occurred across the board at Marvel.
Impacted departments include “film and TV production, comics, franchise, finance, legal, as well as visual development.”
Image: Marvel
So, yeah, that’s pretty much everybody taking at least some form of hit from these layoffs.
According to The Wrap, “this was the result of an overall reduction in Marvel’s film and television production slate.”
Source: Marvel
In other words, Marvel is finally paying the price for the sins of the early 2020s.
To be fair, that was more former Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s fault, as he demanded the increase.
Photo: CNBC
Chapek believed that a high volume of Marvel and Star Wars content would secure Disney+.
We all know how well that worked, but Marvel’s previous layoffs weren’t significant.
Image: Marvel
Unfortunately, this particular move has been long overdue in a year when Marvel only releases one film.
The belief is that the studio will only exhibit one title next year, too. So, yeah, Marvel is overstaffed.
Image: Marvel
Well, the company had been. Disney just took care of that with an aggressive batch of layoffs.
Even if Marvel is right that it’s, say, five percent rather than eight percent, it’s still a significant staffing shave.
Image: Marvel
I haven’t gotten to the worst part yet, though. One area got hit the hardest.
The Deepest Cut
Image: Marvel
According to Deadline, “the cuts in the visual development area are said to be significant.”
Remember when Secret Invasion came out, and everyone revolted over the opening credits?
Image: Marvel
Marvel used AI for that, and the writing is on the wall here that this is part of the plan from now on.
Marvel will employ freelancers but also utilize AI to handle more of its visual effects.
Image: Marvel
That’s why some people in Hollywood are saying, “I told you so.” They saw this one coming.
They were right because Marvel is only keeping a small VFX team now.
Image: Marvel
The job of these workers will be to “oversee the hiring of artists on a project-by-project basis who will be outside contractors.”
What does that mean for Marvel content? Well, the VFX will mostly lack continuity.
Image: Marvel
Rather than vertically integrating special effects, Marvel will outsource virtually everything.
Well, it’ll outsource everything that’s not AI. Yes, Marvel undeniably just got a little worse today.
Image: Marvel
Marvel expert Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool spoke with Marvel about the layoffs.
You can read his full explanation here, but he believes this wasn’t really about Marvel.
Source: Marvel/ Epcot
He thinks that Disney had a number of layoffs it needed to perform, and Marvel had to be included.
Since Pixar was NOT included, I don’t necessarily agree. Marvel simply wasn’t lean, and everyone knew it.
Source: Marvel
Still, something else Johnston states is what I find fascinating. He got redirected.
His previous point person at Marvel is either no longer there or no longer responding to such requests.
Source: Marvel Studios
So, we’re discussing a firm reboot in terms of operating procedures at Marvel. That’s worrisome.
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Image: Marvel
