At New York Comic Con 2025, the Marvel Comics to Screen panel brought together to talk about the differences in production between the comics and cinematic sides of the company. Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski took the stage to welcome Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s Head of Animation and TV, best known for overseeing Daredevil: Born Again (Seasons 1 and 2).
Winderbaum opened up by talking about his early days in the MCU, starting as an assistant to Louis D’Esposito on the original Iron Man film, before becoming a producer on Ant-Man, and later Thor: Ragnarok. The producer shared how he championed Taika Waititi for the director’s chair after seeing What We Do in the Shadows, and that Waititi, not only voiced Korg, but also, played as the body fill-in for Surtur in the film.
When it comes to production timelines, Winderbaum noted that bringing an idea to screen typically takes about three to three and a half years. Cebulski playfully contrasted that with comics production: “From idea to comic, we can do it in three months.”
The conversation then turned to a discussion of the currently released Marvel Zombies series. Winderbaum revealed in the panel, photos from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where parts of the show’s development were celebrated. Most importantly, the producer noted the project took roughly three years to complete.
That’s when a surprise guest then joined the stage: writer Zeb Wells, whom, oddly, I happened to be sitting within arm’s reach of in the audience just moments earlier. Wells talked about his comics-to-screen journey, tracing his Marvel start back to 2002’s Tangled Web #12.
The writer shared his entry into Marvel was an unconventional one, that he’d submitted a short comedy film for a Wizard Magazine contest about the Hulk losing his job, which caught the attention of then Editor-in-Chief, Axel Alonso. The same short also landed Wells a gig at Robot Chicken (co-created by former Wizard staffer Matthew Senreich), the short setting the stage for a career that would span animation and comics alike.
Marvel Zombies
As co-creator of Marvel Zombies, Wells joined Winderbaum in revisiting the project’s origins with Cebulski, before showcasing some video clips of shocks-and-horrors from the series. One standout moment featured a gruesome showdown between Captain America and Red Guardian, a character moment ironically, as pointed out by Winterbaum, that fulfilled Alexei’s long-held dream of fighting Captain America, just not in the way he envisioned it. As it was only half a zombie Captain America’s corpse.
Cebulski then highlighted how the dark evolution of Wanda Maximoff across the comics helped inspire the series’ tone, particularly with “Dark Wanda” drawn from the character’s 1979 roots.
X-Men ’97
The focus then shifted to X-Men ’97, where Winderbaum expressed deep admiration for the show’s legacy and its creative evolution. “It’s a completely different medium,” he said. “Some things work really well on the page, but when it comes to moving images, it’s not always one-to-one.”
Wells, of course, agreed, reflecting on the challenge of translating stories across formats. “It always shocks me how different writing a comic is from writing for another medium,” he said. “You have to completely relearn how to write. You give artists a springboard and let them fly.”
Cebulski later teased what’s ahead for the series, confirming that Apocalypse will play a major role in X-Men ’97 Season 2. The preview reel showcased influences from across X-history, especially the Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely era, with nods to Baby Nate, the Cyclops and Phoenix comics, and Danger from Astonishing X-Men.
Wonder Man
The panel wrapped with an exclusive look at Wonder Man. Winderbaum described the upcoming series as a reversal of the typical superhero story — this time focusing on a character “trying to be a person in the arts.”
Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from NYCC ’25.
