Posted in: Comics, Games, Marvel Comics, Movies, Pop Culture, TV | Tagged: Charles Bess, Chris Fondacaro, dan buckley, david gabriel, Executive Cleaning, Jeff Vahle, layoffs, Timothy Cheng

The Big Plan For Disney, Marvel And More Involves "Executive Cleaning"

The big plan for Marvel and the Disney portfolio involves what sources describe to Bleeding Cool as "Executive Cleaning"

Big changes at the top, came to Marvel, and all of Disney yesterday, and I am hearing that there is more major news in that regard yet to be announced. But a wider picture is that Disney is clearing out its executives. Others as well, but predominantly those with VP or higher in their job titles. Sources with Disney confirm to me that there is an "executive cleaning", as part of a strategy with an endgame in mind, but no one knows exactly what it is.

A month ago, Bleeding Cool broke the news that Marvel executives David Gabriel and Timothy Cheng had been laid off at Marvel Comics as part of the Disney reorganisation that saw over a thousand people fired. Yesterday, it was announced that Marvel Comics President Dan Buckley would be leaving. Earlier today, Bleeding Cool broke the news that Chris Fondacaro, longtime executive at Marvel, the Executive Vice President of Global Brand & Franchise Planning/Creative Services at Marvel Entertainment, or Head of Marvel Franchise, was also put. And there have been other big changes across the company.

Charles Bess, Disney Executive Director, Global Publicity and Marketing Communications, posted on Instagram and LinkedIn, saying, "Disney laid me off after 31 years. I'm still processing the news weeks later. It was a shock that didn't just affect me, but my team, our vendors, the agencies we partnered with every day; people who gave everything to the work we built together. I've been thinking about all of them. What I keep coming back to is this: 31 years of friendships and work that genuinely mattered. I'm grateful for everything those years gave me. And I'm genuinely excited for what comes next. The best is still ahead. To everyone who reached out: thank you. It has meant more than you know."

Jeff Vahle, who joined Disney in 1990 as a Mechanical Engineer and rose to be President of Walt Disney World, announced his retirement on LinkedIn, saying, "Today, I shared with our team that after 36 years with Disney, I'll be retiring this summer. I started my career as an engineer at Magic Kingdom, and I'm wrapping it up with the best job ever, leading Walt Disney World into a period of remarkable growth in partnership with our incredible Cast Members and community. I'll be here through late July, so I'll save the reminiscing for later. In the meantime, there's a lot ahead, from launching Cool KIDS' Summer to opening Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets and an updated Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. It's an exciting time at Walt Disney World, and I'm looking forward to being part of it in the months ahead."

And now Brad Winderbaum, current head of television and animation, is taking comics/publishing and franchise under his wing, and Disney Music Group's David Abdo becomes Marvel's general manager, comics and franchise. And this all comes after the big March 2026 changes, as Thomas Mazloum, previously the Disneyland Resort President, was promoted to Disney Experiences Chairman, as former Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro became Chief Executive Officer. Dana Walden was named President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company, as Disney CEO Bob Iger became Senior Advisor and a member of the Disney Board until a planned retirement at the end of the year. At the Parks, Jill Estorino is now President, Disneyland Resort, Tasia Filippatos is now President, Disney Parks International and Lisa Baldzicki is President, Disney Consumer Products. It was also only last year that Thomas Schumacher, CEO at Disney Theatrical Group, left after forty years.

The question has to be… who is next? Later today, Bleeding Cool will try to answer that question.

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