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Top Marvel, DC, and Bungie executives are working on secret company called Stone Kite

All-Stars from Bungie, Activision Blizzard, Marvel Comics, DC, BOOM! Studios and more are in stealth-mode on their (and maybe our?) next big thing.

News by Chris Arrant, Editor-in-Chief

Published on Tue Sep 22 2026

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What is a stone kite? It's a misnomer, and a mystery as its the name of a new company building up steam in the background of the comics and broader entertainment industry you should keep your eye on.

No, this isn't a secret society or some cloak-and-dagger nonsense. It's a new start-up company acting in stealth mode it seems, ahead of a proper launch. But they have a website, they have a logo, and they have what in my personal opinion is perhaps the most all-star line-up of staffers outside of DC and Marvel. (Sorry, well... you know who you are.)

Firstly, let's start with what Stone Kite says they are: "Stone Kite is a world-first entertainment studio built by veterans from comics, audio, film, television, print media and games. We build new worlds so you can live in them," reads a listing on its LinkedIn page. (Hey, I like "comics, audio, film, television, print media and games"!)

You won't find that description on the official Stone Kite website however - that, for now, simply displays their logo.

But they're spending time on LinkedIn (which actually works as a recruitment vehicle in some sectors), and have been amassing quite a roster of talent. Take a look at this:

Margaret Stohl, Stone Kite's CEO (and co-founder): Comics fans will know her best for her run on Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel, creating its Red Widow character, and writing a great Spider-Man: Noir series. In the games industry, she has written numerous AAA titles and was narrative director on Bungie's Destiny 2. Oh yeah, she also co-created and sold a game studio to Activision.
Lewis Peterson, Stone Kite's President (and co-founder): Peterson is the former studio head of Activision Blizzard, and the co-owner of that game studio Stohl sold to Activision.
Stephen Wacker, Stone Kite's Senior VP of IP Incubation: Wacker is best known as the Marvel Comics' senior editor who was headhunted from DC to oversee the amazing Spider-Man: Brand New Day era of comics, and if that wasn't enough was the editor in the room for the revamp of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, the creation of Spider-Gwen, among others. Thanks in part to that, he was moved into the c-suite to oversee development - first for Marvel Animation, then Marvel Television in general, and then into broader "digital media". He peaced-out in 2022 however, and was hired by Jonathan Hickman to navigate things for the ambitious 3 Worlds / 3 Moons self-publishing comics plan. He quietly left there in May 2023, to even quietly begin work at Stone Kite.
Rob Engeln, Stone Kite's Game Director: Remember I said Stohl worked on Bungie? She made friends there, including the company's creative director of incubation who is now with Stone Kite.
Jeanine Schaefer, Stone Kite's Director of World Incubation: From the precarious perch that is being a comic journalist since 2005, Jeanine Schaefer is one of the most successful editors in comics - and not riding on the coattails of a big brand. DC? Check. Marvel? Check. BOOM! Studios? Double check.

According to Stone Kite's LinkedIn profile, they're up to almost a dozen staff working at their Santa Monica offices and remotely - but not a single announced project to their name. They have venture capital from a group called Griffin Gaming Partners, which describes Stone Kite as an "IP-first connected content studio."

I don't have any insider knowledge about Stone Kite, and I haven't been prowling yet for scoops or toldjas (...yet). Right now, I'm just observing, as you do when someone else is flying a kite. And, you know, pointing up in the sky and telling a friend about it. (That'd be you.)

The company was founded in 2020, and began staffing up in 2022. Here, now, four years later as hiring continues, it feels like they've had time to make their frame, pitch their kite sail, and begin letting out their line to see their kite fly.

And I look forward to seeing Stone Kite fly.

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Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant was editor-in-chief and Popverse co-founder. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)