New Delhi: The Walt Disney Company has laid off around 1,000 employees this week, impacting several divisions, including Marvel Studios. The move comes as part of an effort to streamline operations and cut costs across its media and entertainment business.
As per a report by Forbes, the layoffs show deep cuts inside Marvel. Teams across film, TV, comics, legal, and finance have been affected. What stands out is the scale of impact on creative talent, especially the visual development team that shaped some of the biggest superhero films in recent years.
Marvel’s visual development team hit hard
Almost the entire visual development team at Marvel Studios has been let go. This group played a major role in designing the look of films like Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: Civil War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
These artists handled early-stage design work. They created costumes, environments, and key scenes before production even began. Many had been with the company for over a decade. That part hits a bit hard. I still remember watching Endgame in a packed theatre. Hard to imagine those visuals without this team behind it.
Shift to contractor model
Disney is now moving towards a contractor-based model for creative work. Instead of large full-time teams, projects will rely on smaller core staff and hire specialists when needed.
The change links directly to Marvel’s reduced output plan. The studio is cutting down the number of films and TV shows it releases each year.
Former CEO Bob Iger had earlier said, “We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three.”
Disney says layoffs are about efficiency, not AI
Disney’s leadership has said these layoffs are not linked to AI replacing artists. Instead, the focus is on managing resources better.
CEO Josh D’Amaro told employees, “I know this is hard. These decisions are not a reflection of their contributions or of the overall strength of the company. Rather, they reflect our continual evaluation of how to more effectively manage our resources and reinvest in our businesses.”
The media industry is also seeing similar changes. Job cuts are rising across film, gaming, and advertising, as companies adjust to slower growth and rising production costs.