Credit: Marvel Studios It’s a historic time at Marvel Studios — and Hollywood at large.
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Kevin Feige has held the position of President at Marvel Studios for years, overseeing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) now under the ownership of The Walt Disney Company. The MCU has significantly influenced the superhero movie genre and the entire film industry, making a lasting impression, despite differing opinions. The expansive narrative called the Infinity Saga reached its climactic finale with the grand debuts of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), signifying the end of Phase Three. The franchise’s expansion and achievements have firmly established it as a major, if not predominant, force within the realm of moviemaking.
After the departure of the beloved character Tony Stark, also recognized as Iron Man, who made a heroic sacrifice to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin), and Chris Evans bidding farewell to his role as Steve Rogers/Captain America by passing on the Cap legacy, it has become evident that an opportunity has arisen for prominent superhero teams such as the Fantastic Four and X-Men to take center stage. With this transition, ample space has opened up for fresh narratives to unfold before the events of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. It appears that Marvel is actively seeking to assemble their new lineup ahead of these upcoming Multiverse Saga events.
Unfortunately, all of these ambitious plans to deliver the next Infinity War and Endgame cinematic experience, along with the increased rate of Marvel production during The Walt Disney Company’s “Bob Chapek, CEO” era, has resulted in a particularly overworked and underpaid group of Marvel Studios workers.
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Marvel Studios at a troubled crossroads
Besides the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which has persisted for numerous months and seems to have no immediate resolution, the film industry is facing an additional blow due to the ongoing Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) actors guild strike that has already commenced and is seriously affecting Hollywood productions across all the major studios.
To add to these challenges, Marvel Studios is currently facing a major dilemma centered around Jonathan Majors, the actor portraying Big Bad, Kang the Conqueror. This character currently holds the weight of the studio’s entire Phase Five, including the future of Avengers 5, AKA Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Majors is currently under scrutiny due to multiple allegations of sexual assault and domestic abuse. Furthermore, the departure of James Gunn, who directed and wrote for Guardians of the Galaxy, and who now serves as co-CEO of DC Studios and the associated DC Universe alongside Peter Safran, has introduced a new layer of competition for Marvel Studios to contend with.
Marvel workers stand up for rights
Of late, there has been a growing demand for employees of Marvel Studios, especially in the visual effects department, to openly address issues of mistreatment and unreasonable expectations. A tense environment had arisen due to the particularly demanding client — there were frequent, last minute changes and crunch reported, overworking the already underpaid VFX artists. Previously, the group had chosen to express their concerns while remaining anonymous — but now it seems like real action has just begun, to stand against the “bully” of a superhero media giant.
News outlet Vulture recently reported that Marvel Studios VFX workers, for the first time in history, have decided to come together to demand fair treatment, wanting “the same rights, wage protections, and professional watchdog oversight enjoyed by workers in almost every other segment of the entertainment industry”, from Marvel Studios. According to the report, the “supermajority” of Marvel’s on-set and post-production workers have gone ahead to sign a petition for proper labor representation with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) with the National Labor Relations Board:
The supermajority of Marvel’s 52-member on-set and post-production crew signed authorization cards to indicate they wish to be represented by the powerful labor union representing some 170,000 artisans, technicians, stagehands, and craftspeople across TV, film, and live theater in the United States and Canada.
Mark Patch, a VFX organizer for IATSE opened up, stating that the visual-effects industry has been shortchanged for “almost half a century” and “denied the same protections and benefits” that their coworkers have — despite nearly 90 percent of all films today (and essentially, every single Marvel movie) relying on VFX in some way:
For almost half a century, workers in the visual-effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits their coworkers and crewmates have relied upon since the beginning of the Hollywood film industry. This is a historic first step for VFX workers coming together with a collective voice demanding respect for what we do.
This wave of labor action comes at a time when a significant portion of Hollywood is staring down the barrel of several major studios’ proverbial gun. With big studio execs (receiving hundreds of millions in take-home pay) planning to drag negotiations out until the striking workers lose their homes and apartments.
VFX coordinator Bella Huffman spoke up about the frequent and unfair exploitation of workers in the industry, emphasizing the need for sustainable working conditions:
Turnaround times don’t apply to us, protected hours don’t apply to us, and pay equity doesn’t apply to us. Visual effects must become a sustainable and safe department for everyone who’s suffered far too long and for all newcomers who need to know they won’t be exploited.
It’s clear that studios like Marvel who frequently abuse these quick turnaround times for their own gain will have to seriously take a look at the way they make movies and TV. With frequent reports of audience “superhero fatigue”, this could even benefit studios like Marvel who have seemingly oversaturated the market in the past few years. Perhaps slowing down (and paying/respecting their employees fairly) is a much needed step for Marvel Studios to take.
What do you think of Marvel VFX workers going on strike? Is this a good thing in the long run? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Marvel Comics and Marvel characters have certainly come a long way. Following the separation of Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) from the original six Avengers team, which also included Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) and the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), a lot has transpired in Marvel Entertainment. One of Marvel Studios’ recent theatrical releases is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, directed by James Gunn and featuring Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, taking his space-roving companions on a final adventure across the galaxy. Upcoming Marvel movies include The Marvels (2023), set to debut on November 10, 2023, and Captain America: Brave New World (formerly known as New World Order). On Disney+ (Disney Plus), Secret Invasion (2023) follows Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nick Fury and delves into his spacetime and Krull-centric escapades. Additionally, the upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart will star Marvel Studios newcomer Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams.
Currently available for viewing are Moon Knight (2022), She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), as well as Netflix Marvel television favorites like Daredevil (2016) and Marvel’s Jessica Jones (2015). For those looking for shorter content, Marvel Studios offers Special Presentation short films, including Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) and Werewolf by Night (2022).