Disney Fires Ike Perlmutter, Marvel Chairman And Longtime Foe Of Kevin Feige
Here's a piece of news that Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have likely been anticipating for a long time. Ike Perlmutter, the infamous longtime Marvel chairman whose legacy is more than a tad complicated, was part of The Walt Disney Company's ongoing layoffs, according to The New York Times. The official reasoning for this move was that his division, the consumer product-oriented Marvel Entertainment, would be folded into other company units.
As previously stated, "complicated" barely scratches the surface when it comes to Perlmutter's legacy as a Marvel chairman. Having been instated as a member of the Marvel Comics board of directors in 1993, he and Avi Arad took complete control of the then-fledgling publisher in 1998, saving it from bankruptcy by combining it with their Toy Biz company. He steadily climbed up to the coveted CEO position in 2005 and oversaw the company's sale to The Walt Disney Company in 2009. However, that would only mark the beginning of his professional troubles.
A rocky ride
In 2015, Ike Perlmutter was thrust out of Marvel Studios after he and Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige had one too many clashes over the franchise's direction. According to current Disney CEO Bob Iger in his book "The Ride of a Lifetime," some of these clashes centered around diverse casting, as Perlmutter allegedly believed that 2018's "Black Panther" would not be successful. This lines up with a previous controversy the executive faced in 2012, where he allegedly joked about War Machine actors Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard looking identical (via Financial Times).
After being pushed out of Marvel Studios, Perlmutter retained oversight into the brand's disconnected television universe. Ultimately, that only lasted a few years, as in 2019, plans were announced to end the then-current Marvel TV slate in order to create shows explicitly set in the MCU. Since then, the executive has overseen more product-based ventures. However, he has made headlines in recent months for his attempts at getting activist investor Nelson Peltz on the Disney board of directors in a lengthy back-and-forth battle.
Neither Disney nor Perlmutter have officially commented on the termination so far. That being said, his removal, combined with the shocking recent departure of longtime Marvel producer Victoria Alonso, could give us a glimpse at the brand's future. Is Feige preparing for a total revamp of the larger Marvel multimedia franchise? Could the elaborate world-building plans the MCU has become notorious for be changing? Will its alleged culture of workforce abuse finally be amended? With the controversial Perlmutter finally out, we might be getting answers to these questions in the very near future.