Marvel Comics writer and former Daredevil showrunner Steven S. DeKnight says he is done working with Marvel Comics until Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski's controversial past — where he pretended to be a Japanese man — is properly addressed.
On Twitter, DeKnight said, "I can’t in good conscience accept any additional work until this is resolved. I hope other creatives will follow suit."
Completely unacceptable. Writing for Marvel is a childhood dream come true. My next issues come out in December. But I can’t in good conscience accept any additional work until this is resolved. I hope other creatives will follow suit. https://t.co/vbKReksGk8
— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) October 9, 2021
Cebulski previously wrote under a fake Japanese name, Akira Yoshida, working with Marvel Comics on franchises including X-Men, Thor, Fantastic Four, and more.
Instead of just a pen name, reports say a lot of effort was made to present Yoshida as a real, Japanese person. "Yoshida" even gave interviews about growing up in Japan and learning English from American comics. Cebulski went as far as to say he had lunch with Yoshida, and that he would provide pictures to prove it. The proof, however, never came.
In 2017, the same time Cebulski was promoted to Editor-In-Chief, Cebulski admitted what he had done to Marvel executives.
Cebulski told Bleeding Cool, "I stopped writing under the pseudonym Akira Yoshida after about a year. It wasn't transparent, but it taught me a lot about writing, communication and pressure. I was young and naïve and had a lot to learn back then. But this is all old news that has been dealt with, and now as Marvel's new Editor-in-Chief, I'm turning a new page and am excited to start sharing all my Marvel experiences with up and coming talent around the globe."
While this has been public information since 2017, it seems DeKnight is just uncovering it for himself now.
This just came to my attention. If he had been made EIC twenty years ago, I would still feel the same. https://t.co/UcPk3r1zKB
— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) October 11, 2021
DeKnight worked on the 2015 Daredevil TV show for Netflix and was the showrunner on the critically-acclaimed first season. On the comics side, he penned part of the Wastelanders series that's coming this December.
The writer recognizes that just one person stepping away from Marvel won't have much of an impact, but is one of the highest-profile writers to bring up Cebulski's past in recent years.
Once again, time to get back to work. In the grand scheme of Marvel, who I have loved since childhood, me not working with them in comics over this will probably have zero impact. But I can't in good conscience write for a company that promoted this man to editor-in-chief.
— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) October 10, 2021
For more on the business side of Marvel Comics, check out Marvel's decision from earlier this year to shift to Penguin Random House in a multi-year partnership.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.