The Marvels was released at the tail end of 2023's Hollywood strikes, and despite scoring mostly positive reviews (it sits at a "Fresh" 62% on Rotten Tomatoes), the Captain Marvel sequel only managed to earn $206.1 million worldwide.
That makes it one of Marvel Studios' biggest box office flops, and fans continue to debate what went wrong. After all, how could a follow-up to a $1 billion blockbuster and critically acclaimed shows like WandaVision and Ms. Marvel fall so short of expectations? Whatever the case may be, it hasn't hurt filmmaker Nia DaCosta's career.
She's since helmed 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and is currently doing the rounds to promote Hedda, a new Prime Video drama starring Thor: Love and Thunder's Tessa Thompson, who made a cameo appearance in The Marvels.
Talking to The Guardian, DaCosta appeared to reference her time in the MCU by discussing the "shocking way people have talked to me in my position as a director" after Candyman. She reportedly left The Marvels during post-production to start work on Hedda, and indicated that she subsequently received "anonymous briefings" that painted her in a negative light.
"They knew the entire time that I had an obligation," DaCosta shared, "a greenlit movie with people who were waiting for me."
Despite that, there don't appear to be any hard feelings between the director and Marvel Studios. "There’s no ire in any of my energy. I was on the Avengers set a couple weeks ago because I still have relationships with these people." Referencing Kevin Feige, she added, "He wrote me a letter for my UK visa."
DaCosta has previously said that there came a point when she realised The Marvels "[wasn't] going to be the movie that I pitched or even the first version of the movie that I shot," and later suggested that she was working without a "solid script."
Marvel Studios is renowned for using reshoots to tinker with and improve its movies. However, in recent years, those appear to have largely done the opposite, with Captain America: Brave New World the most recent example. The Marvels ultimately lost the studio around $237 million.
Why was DaCosta on the set of Avengers: Doomsday? Well, chances are she was just visiting. However, we'd say it's also possible that she was there to see the follow-up to The Marvels' post-credits scene being shot, perhaps offering insights similar to Jake Schreier and Matt Shakman when the Russos filmed stingers for Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Let us know your thoughts on DaCosta's comments in the usual place.