Brad Winderbaum (left) promoted to Head of Marvel Television, Animation, Comics & Franchise, and David Abdo (right) General Manager, Comics & Franchise, appointed May 18, 2026.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios
Marvel just dropped a bombshell announcement of a leadership change at the top of the comics publishing and franchise teams. Longtime Marvel president Dan Buckley, who had led Marvel in various capacities since 2003 and was named head of Marvel Comics and Franchise in 2025, announced he will depart the company in 2027 after a leadership transition. Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum will assume the role of Head of Marvel Television, Animation, Comics & Franchise, responsible for creative direction and global brand and franchise. Disney executive David Abdo is stepping in as General Manager, Comics & Franchise, reporting to Winderbaum.
Winderbaum comes to the publishing and franchise side from his previous role as Head of Marvel Television and Marvel Animation, where he won several Emmy Awards for Marvel content on Disney+ and other platforms. 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, according to the announcement.
David 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.
Buckley’s long tenure in leadership saw Marvel emerge from severe business struggles in the wake of the company’s bankruptcy in the late 1990s to reclaim its position as the leader in the American comics market, even before ascending to new heights with the debut of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008.
Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer, Marvel summed up Buckley’s tenure. “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.”
This follows other big changes at Marvel and Disney, including company-wide layoffs and new cost-cutting measures at Disney following the appointment of new CEO Josh D’Amaro.