Disney Hits Marvel With Massive Layoffs at Every Level – Visual Development Department Reduced to a “Skeleton Crew”
The “go broke” part of the equation we’re all familiar with may finally be taking hold as Disney hits Marvel with massive layoffs. Marvel is reeling from a sudden – but not unexpected, let’s face it – round of mass layoffs making its way through the body of Disney and all its extremities.
Following a massive internal memo from new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro last Tuesday (per Gizmodo), the house where the MCU was put on the map is experiencing the first aftershocks of a reported slashing of about eight percent of its total workforce.
These massive and deep cuts are part of a broader 1,000-person elimination across The Walt Disney Company, and they have hit Marvel at every level. Both its Burbank and New York offices are impacted – meaning film, television, comics, finance, and legal departments were all hit.
A devastating blow was dealt to their department of Visual Development, long held as the cornerstone among the cogs in the machine that keeps production on film and streaming projects churning. Reports suggest the full-time team has been eliminated and operations are being whittled down to a “skeleton crew” model.
According to sources, Marvel will retain only a handful of senior leaders, including Creative Director Ryan Meinerding, to oversee a revolving door of freelance contractors from outside. This shift will drain the dedicated “think tank” of designers in favor of a project-by-project system fed by the freelancers they’ll bring in for each shot.
The word coming down from Space Mountain indicates this move is a reaction to a slate about to shrink. Marvel has been flooding Disney+ and theaters with almost endless content for years; now, they are finally pumping the brakes. With Avengers: Doomsday as the only major theatrical release this year, the need for a deep permanent staff is waning.
However, there will be risks, even if they’re worth it in the long run. For one thing, in-house collaboration is being traded for the whims of the gig economy. Relying on freelancers means Marvel could end up losing the visual cohesion that defined its first three phases.
Moreover, D’Amaro’s memo mentioned a move toward an “agile and technologically enabled workforce.” This verbiage has many fearing the office is using code for “cheaper and automated,” as in AI. Disney corporate has denied such things, but industry-wide, everyone on the ground is wary. Marvel used to pride itself on doing things the “Marvel Way.”
They built an empire a few times over with that method. But, as they lost touch with what made their brand yours and mine, they lost consumer confidence. They began to pivot, though it seems they haven’t learned anything. Outsourcing could be a dangerous gamble in the coming era that spells “Doomsday.“
