Marvel's Joe Quesada Reacts To Dan DiDio DC Departure

Last Friday brought the surprising news that longtime DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio was no longer with the superhero publishing company. DiDio was best known for overseeing multiple initiatives that pushed massive awareness of the brand, with storylines and titles including Infinite Crisis, 52, the New 52 relaunch, and DC Rebirth, as well as other publishing efforts like Before Watchmen and Doomsday Clock. In the time since his departure was announced, DiDio has reacted to the news with a nostalgic video from the past and now one of his contemporaries from the House of Ideas has weighed in too.

Executive Vice President and Creative Director of Marvel Entertainment Joe Quesada chimed in about DiDio's departure, the full context of which has not been revealed yet. The former editor-in-chief of Marvel had nothing but praise for DiDio however, even though their comics work was always "at odds" with each other.

"While the world of comics likes to look at things in terms of heroes and villains, that's far from reality," Quesada said. "I've known Dan Didio years before he was at DC. We lived in different universes and competed for more years than I can remember, he's a good guy and has been a staunch advocate for our medium for nearly two decades. I want to personally wish him the best and look forward to all his future endeavors and successes."

We lived in different universes and competed for more years than I can remember, he’s a good guy and has been a staunch advocate for our medium for nearly two decades. I want to personally wish him the best and look forward to all his future endeavors and successes.

— JoeQuesada (@JoeQuesada) February 21, 2020

As of now Jim Lee is acting as sole publisher of DC Comics, until the company announces more formal plans of succession for Dan Didio. Didio has similarly not said anything about what his next step will be, professionally. He was at the forefront of the successful DC reboots of the 2010s ("New 52" & "Rebirth), but also some of the companies major failings and recent downsizing. Didio also had a major reboot of the DC Timeline in the works, which would've streamlined events into five key eras (or "Generations") that better fit the modern universe. There are now whispers that plans for the DC "5G Timeline" could be scrapped with Didio's exit, although that has yet to be confirmed, as well.

Stay tuned as this story develops.