Avi Arad (; ; born August 1, 1948) is an Israeli-American studio executive and producer of film, television and animation. He became the CEO of Toy Biz in the 1990s, was the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment and is the founder, former chairman and former CEO of the latter's successor, Marvel Studios. He has produced and sometimes written a wide array of live-action, animated, and television comic book adaptations.
Early life
Arad was born in 1948 in Ramat Gan, Israel, to a Jewish family. The son of Holocaust survivors from Poland, he grew up reading Superman and Spider-Man comics translated into Hebrew. In 1965, he was conscripted as a soldier into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He fought and was wounded in the 1967 Six-Day War, and spent 15 months recuperating. Arad finished his military service in 1968.
In 1970, Arad moved to the United States and enrolled at Hofstra University to study industrial management. He worked as a truck driver and as a Hebrew teacher to put himself through college, and graduated with a BBA from Hofstra's Frank G. Zarb School of Business in 1972.
Career
Marvel Comics
Along with Israeli-American Toy Biz co-owner Isaac Perlmutter, Avi Arad came into conflict with Carl Icahn and Ron Perelman over control of Marvel Comics in the wake of its 1996 bankruptcy. In the end, Arad and Perlmutter came out on top, with Toy Biz taking over Marvel Comics in a complicated deal that included obtaining the rights to Spider-Man and other superheroes that Marvel had sold earlier. He was involved in Marvel's emergence from bankruptcy and the expansion of the company's profile through licensing and movies.
Arad Productions<!--'Arad Animation' and 'Arad Productions' redirect here-->
thumbnail|right|Logo used since 2007
On May 31, 2006, Arad resigned his various Marvel positions, including his leadership of Marvel Studios, to form his own production company, Arad Productions<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> (also known as Arad Animation<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->), a company that primarily produces Marvel-licensed films separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Infamous, Metal Gear Solid, and The Legend of Zelda.
Production I.G
In August 2010, it was announced that Arad was given a chair with the American branch of animation studio Production I.G in Los Angeles, California.
Israel–Palestine conflict
A self-described proud former member of the Israeli military, Arad has been a staunch supporter of Israel. In 2024, he denounced Democratic U.S. senator Chuck Schumer for criticizing Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the Gaza war, and stated his opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Filmography
Feature films
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Executive<br>Producer
! Producer
|-
| 1998
| Blade
|
|
|-
| 2000
| X-Men
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2002
| Blade II
|
|
|-
| Spider-Man
|
|
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2003
| Daredevil
|
|
|-
| Hulk
|
|
|-
| X2
|
|
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2004
| The Punisher
|
|
|-
| Spider-Man 2
|
|
|-
| Blade: Trinity
|
|
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2005
| Elektra
|
|
|-
| Man-Thing (TV film)
|
|
|-
| Fantastic Four
|
|
|-
| 2006
| X-Men: The Last Stand
|
|
|-
| rowspan=5 | 2007
| Ghost Rider
|
|
|-
| Spider-Man 3
|
|
|-
| Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
|
|
|-
| Bratz
|
|
|-
| The Killing Floor
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2008
| Iron Man
|
|
|-
| The Incredible Hulk
|
|
|-
| 2011
| Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
|
|
|-
| 2012
| The Amazing Spider-Man
|
|
|-
| 2013
| Robosapien: Rebooted
|
|
|-
| 2014
| The Amazing Spider-Man 2
|
|
|-
| 2015
| Gamba: Ganba to nakamatachi
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2017
| Ghost in the Shell
|
|
|-
| Spider-Man: Homecoming
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2018
| Venom
|
|
|-
| Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
|
|
|-
| 2019
| Spider-Man: Far From Home
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2021
| Venom: Let There Be Carnage
|
|
|-
| Spider-Man: No Way Home
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2022
| Uncharted
|
|
|-
| Morbius
|
|
|-
| 2023
| Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
|
|
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2024
| Borderlands
|
|
|-
| Venom: The Last Dance
|
|
|-
| Kraven the Hunter
|
|
|-
| 2026
| Spider-Man: Brand New Day
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2027
| The Legend of Zelda
|
|
|-
| Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
|
|
|-
|}
Direct-to-video
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Executive<br />Producer
! Writer
|-
|rowspan=2| 2006
| Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
|
|
|-
| Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2007
| The Invincible Iron Man
|
|
|-
|Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme
|
|
|-
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Executive<br />Producer
! Creator
! Notes
|-
|1992
|King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
|
|
|
|-
|1993–1994
|Double Dragon
|
|
|
|-
|1993
|The Bots Master
|
|
|
|-
|1993–1997
|X-Men: The Animated Series
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1994
|Iron Man
|
|
|rowspan=2|
|-
|Fantastic Four
|
|
|-
|1994–1998
|Spider-Man: The Animated Series
|
|
|Also story writer of episode "The Alien Costume, Part 1"
|-
|1996–1997
|The Incredible Hulk
|
|
|
|-
|1996
|Generation X
|
|
|TV pilot
|-
|rowspan=2|1998
|Silver Surfer
|
|
|
|-
|Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
|
|
|TV movie
|-
|1999–2001
|Spider-Man Unlimited
|
|
|
|-
|1999–2000
|The Avengers: United They Stand
|
|
|
|-
|2000–2003
|X-Men: Evolution
|
|
|Also story writer of episode "Strategy X"
|-
|2001–2004
|Mutant X
|
|
|
|-
|2003
|Spider-Man: The New Animated Series
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2006
|Blade: The Series
|
|
|
|-
|Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes
|
|
|Also story writer of episode "Molehattan"
|-
|rowspan=2|2008
|Iron Man: Armored Adventures
|
|
|
|-
|The Spectacular Spider-Man
|
|
|Episode "Survival of the Fittest"
|-
|2009
|Wolverine and the X-Men
|
|
|
|-
|2013–2015
|Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
|
|
|
|-
|2016–2018
|Kong: King of the Apes
|
|
|
|-
|2017–2018
|Tarzan and Jane
|
|
|
|-
|2017–2018
|Super Monsters
|
|
|
|-
|2024–present
|X-Men '97
|
|
|
|-
|}