Plenty of companies have left California in recent years, blaming the state’s high taxes and elevated cost of living as they flee to places like Texas and Florida. But one business is betting on California for its next chapter by relocating employees from New York to Burbank.
Marvel Comics wants to move more than 100 employees to Southern California, it said in a recent company town hall, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter. That would position the publishing company at the current headquarters of Marvel Studios and within the larger campus of its corporate owner, the Walt Disney Company.
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It’s a big move for Marvel Comics, which has been headquartered in New York for almost 100 years. Marvel CEO Kevin Feige said the move signals a reinvestment in the division. “This move will position the team beside our broader creative organization and create opportunities for collaboration across both Marvel and Disney,” a memo to staff said.
Disney bought Marvel Comics in 2009.
The move is a big blow to the New York comic industry, which has been steadily shrinking. Anchoring the industry to the West Coast, DC Comics also relocated to Burbank back in 2015. Image Comics and Dark Horse are both located in Oregon.
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But the move will distance its writers from the places where Marvel’s superheroes live: Many of its most famous franchises, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, are set in New York.
Employees are expected to move by July 2027.
Even as much has been written about an ongoing California exodus, retail stores and conferences have also been returning to the Golden State, and one tech billionaire is pleading for people to stay. Hollywood, in particular, has been struggling as production is now largely out of state, but industry experts hope new filming incentives will lure those activities back to LA.
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