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For anyone looking, it's fairly obvious that Marvel Comics often aligns its releases with Marvel Studios, and now Marvel editor Tom Brevoort is opening up about how linked the two branches of Marvel actually are. According to him, the synergy is "common sense," but it's not as cut-and-dried as many fans may think.

"I don't think it's quite as regimented as you make it there," Brevoort tells Word Balloon. "Certainly we know that if something's coming out - we've got a big Avengers movie coming at the end of the year, it makes sense to have material that is going to steer into the fact that there is going to be a massive amount of awareness and interest in Avengers and all things Avengers. Not just the day that movie comes out, but in the months or two months leading up to it, and presumably, assuming it's a big blockbuster, in the month or two months leading out of it. So that's just common sense."

One recent example of movie and comic synergy is the recent New Avengers title, which launched alongside Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* starring some of the same characters. And like the movie, the comic was initially launched as Thunderbolts before changing its name to New Avengers as a surprise reveal. Brevoort says that's an example of the synergy between the movies and comics, but Marvel's overall approach is more strategic than simply echoing the films.

"There's a strategy in the sense that Marvel properties in particular are recognized around the world in a way that they weren't certainly 20 years ago, and even 10 years ago. So when there's something going on, you want to have things you know that can take advantage of that cultural zeitgeist," Brevoort explains. "But that's just one branch of the tree of what you're publishing at any point, and it's not like what we do is just following lockstep from whatever is going on in film, or television, or animation. We put our plan together with an awareness of all of that stuff, and we find places to synergize where it makes sense."

Related: Marvel Studios & Marvel Comics are now working "much more closely" this year to get MCU fans into comic stores says publisher

There's some disagreement in the fanbase about how much connection between Marvel Studios and Marvel Comics actually makes sense, with some wishing Marvel Comics were better able to take advantage of the popularity of the MCU, while others long for more separation, with the comics mostly ignoring the MCU.

Internally, Marvel Entertainment (which encompasses both Marvel Comics and the MCU) is making some changes that will bring comics closer to the movies, at least in terms of who's in charge behind-the-scenes, as head of Marvel Comics & franchise Dan Buckley is set to step down in mid-2027, with his duties apparently being split between Marvel head of television Brad Winderbaum and Disney music group general manager David Abdo.

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