The Worst Marvel Executive Is Being Fired
Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter has just been shown the door by Disney.
After working for Disney for over a decade, Ike Perlmutter, Chairman and CEO of Marvel Entertainment, has been laid off. According to The New York Times, this does not come as a surprise, since there has been much speculation within the company of his elimination. This is in addition the announcement of massive Disney layoffs earlier this week.
Ike Perlmutter has had a long and storied career, his highlights include being the chairman and CEO of Marvel Entertainment, as well as being the owner of Remington Products and Marvel Toys. From his humble beginnings, the Israeli-American immigrated to America with only $250 in his pocket, but quickly climbed his way up to success. In 2009, he famously sold Marvel to Disney for $4 billion.
So, what’s next for the billionaire businessman? There has been no comment from Ike Perlmutter on his layoff, but at 80 years old, we may speculate he’ll retire to spend more time on philanthropic endeavors with his wife, Laura. The couple are known for establishing non-profits and donating to important causes like The Innocence Project, the NYU Langone Medical Center, and the Good Samaritan Medical Center.
With Ike Perlmutter out of the picture, the question now stands: who will become the new chairman and CEO of Marvel Entertainment? The current top dogs are Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Entertainment and Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, though it doesn’t seem like they’re going anywhere any time soon. But regardless of who is in charge, we can still expect to see plenty more Marvel movies over the next year, including the highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, and Captain America: New World Order.
It’s worth noting that while Ike Perlmutter worked for Marvel Entertainment, he did not have much say in the production of MCU films. Part of the reason for Ike Perlmutter’s layoff may have stemmed from the last time he tried to interfere with a Marvel movie production; he questioned the importance of the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and whether Kevin Feige was making the right financial decisions. After their heated argument, Feige proved to be right, as the film took in $956 million worldwide.
Ike Perlmutter’s layoff is only one of the 7,000 coming to Disney employees this spring. Some other big names who have gotten the axe include Rob Steffens, co-president of Marvel Entertainment, John Turitzin, chief counsel for the division, and the recently fired producer, Victoria Alonso. The latter may have been fired for producing Argentina, 1985, but regardless, it is causing a lot of drama inside of the company.
These massive and sudden layoffs have come about from Bob Iger, CEO of Disney. He recently announced that he plans to restructure the company around the three most important divisions: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Parks, Experiences, and Products. Apparently having too many employees can make things too complicated, so Iger is letting go of 7,000 employees to create a more streamlined and coordinated approach full of dedicated, efficient workers.
