Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige On The "Cosmic Universe" Moving To The Forefront Post AVENGERS 4
Kevin Feige briefly discusses the "new age" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that debuts post Avengers 4 while also expressing his excitement for the cosmic universe established by James Gunn.
More details and tidbits from extensive press coverage of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continue to make their way online and further paint a picture of how the MCU will evolve in the coming years. The latest news comes courtesy of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who has previously stated that the MCU will likely no longer be organized by Phases post Avengers 4. On what that new MCU will look like, Feige commented that it's still too early for definitive descriptions. “I think it’s a little early to know what it’s going to look like, I think things are going to look very different at that point, but I think the early discussions we’ve had with James [Gunn] about Vol. 3 and beyond with what we’ll call the “Cosmic Universe” and the Guardian characters is very exciting. Which is why he signed up and we announced that even before Guardians Vol. 2 came out.”
However, Feige did tell Fandango that the cosmic Marvel characters might assume greater prominence moving forward and not just within future installments of Guardians of the Galaxy. “As you know from the comics, there are so many places to go and so many more characters, and there are a few characters hinted at in the [end] tag scenes of Vol. 2. All of which could be potential to see and explore more in the new age following our big Avengers films.”
Currently, there's a lot of speculation on what the future holds for the current crop of Marvel stars- specifically Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. One way to deal with their potential exit is to shift the primary focus away from what's happening on Earth. There are currently a number of cosmic characters (some of whom appear as cameos in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) who could carry their own franchise and retain audience interest.