Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently sat down with select press to address the past, present, and future of the MCU. It was a candid conversation, albeit one that saw him choose his words carefully.
However, after acknowledging that the studio has had some quantity over quality issues in recent years, the executive pointed to Superman as proof that superhero fatigue isn't the issue some make it out to be.
"Look at 'Superman," he said of the movie that's grossed $407 million worldwide since opening last weekend. "It’s clearly not superhero fatigue, right? I liked it a lot. I love you just jump right into it. You don’t know who Mister Terrific is? Tough, you’ll figure it out. Just go, go. This is a fully fleshed-out world. David [Corenswet], the new Superman - he was awesome."
So, he was a fan of Superman, but did appear to clap back at James Gunn's repeated insinuations that, unlike Marvel Studios, DC Studios will never begin production on a movie without a completed script that he and Peter Safran are happy with.
Confirming that Marvel Studios has never started a movie without a full script, Feige said his approach is simply to make sure they're "plus-ing [a movie] at every turn."
"There’s plus-ing happening every day on the Avengers: Doomsday set right now, and it is amazing to watch because what those filmmakers, those actors, both the ones that are playing these characters for the first or second time and the one playing them for the 10th or 12th time, are the best in the world at it, and know these characters so well."
He added, "So if they have an idea, you want to listen to it and you want to adjust to it and you want to improve it. I wouldn’t want to change that."
Feige also addressed the continued backlash to Hollywood DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and accusations that the MCU's struggles are a result of the franchise going "woke."
"I said this before 'woke' and 'DEI' became a thing, and I’m still saying it after: Marvel is the world outside your window," Feige shared. "It’s not Gotham City and Metropolis. This is New York and L.A.. And yes, there’s also Wakanda and Asgard, but it is all made up of the people who make up our world."
Captain America: Brave New World and The Marvels underperformed, but none of those characters are going to be sidelined. Feige hailed Ms. Marvel actor Iman Vellani as "one of the greatest bits of casting we’ve ever done" and teased, "I think [Iman] is awesome, both in real life and on the show, and I can’t wait to see her in the future."
"It always comes down to where the best story is and which characters would be great interacting with each other," he concluded.
Proving that Marvel Studios won't start shying away from diverse projects is the fact that Blade, Black Panther 3, and the X-Men reboot are all on the horizon. In terms of female-led projects, that's less certain as female superheroes have long been a tough sell for many moviegoers.