For more than 20 years now, Marvel, whether we’re talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe or separate film series, has held a strong grip on Hollywood, but that wouldn’t have been possible without . Marvel Comics (previously known as Timely Comics and Atlas Comics) has churned out decades of stories that these movies and TV shows turn to for source material, and just like Kevin Feige does with the MCU, you need people to guide these comics endeavors. Among those individuals for more than two decades now has been executive vice president and creative director Joe Quesada, but today he announced that he’s leaving Marvel.
Joe Quesada said that he came to this “exciting and bittersweet” decision comes after discussions with both his family and the folks at Marvel. The outgoing talent added that he has an “exciting new chapter” that’s about to begin, so the timing felt right for him to leave Marvel. His future endeavors include “several insanely cool projects” of his own that will be revealed in the coming months, and these include a short indie film he’s writing and directing. Quesada capped off the statement he shared on Twitter in the coming months:
It’s been one hell of a ride, and I’m proud to have been a part of Marvel’s rags to riches story and satisfied that I accomplished the job I was hired to do twenty-two years ago (seriously, where did the time go?). But none of this happens without one very important person. YOU! My family and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Without your love and support, we wouldn’t have been able to go on this crazy adventure, and I hope you join us on our next one. I promise you it’s going to be AMAZING!
Joe Quesada also clarified that even though he’ll no longer be one of Marvel's guiding figures, he’s not cutting ties with the company completely. In addition to still “cheering” for his Marvel family, Quesada will continue contributing to the comic book publisher “from time to time,” including something he’s “thrilled about for later this year.” But as far as Quesada in a leadership position goes, this is the end of an era, and it hasn’t been announced yet who will succeed him as executive vice president and creative director (or if those roles will now be taken over by separate people).
Having worked in the comic book industry as both an artist and writer since 1990, Joe Quesada kicked off his time as a Marvel Comics bigwig in 1998, when he and Jimmy Palmiotti were hired as the editors of the company’s Marvel Knights line, which spotlighted characters like Daredevil, The Punisher and Black Panther. Then in 2000, Quesada was selected to take over as editor-in-chief from the departing Bob Harras. In addition to Quesada’s work on Marvel Knights, the MAX and Ultimate lines were also published under his regime, and following Spider-Man’s marriage to Mary-Jane Watson being retconned out of existence during the “One More Day” storyline, Quesada played damage control in the press after many fans criticized the plot twist.
In 2010, Joe Quesada was promoted to Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer, which saw him overseeing the creative aspects of media adaptations of Marvel properties, like movies and TV shows. By 2011, he stepped down as editor-in-chief and was replaced by Axel Alonso. Quesada’s transition to Marvel Entertainment’s executive vice president and creative director came in 2019 after Kevin Feige was named chief creative officer across both Marvel Entertainment and Marvel Studios.
As we keep an eye out for what Joe Quesada has coming up both at Marvel and on his own, keep visiting CinemaBlend for all the latest updates about upcoming Marvel movies and Marvel TV shows. You’re also welcome to look through the 2022 movie releases to see what cinematic offerings from other genres catch your eye.
