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Credit: Marvel StudiosBob Iger is warming up his Infinity Gauntlet for a big “snap”.
Kevin Feige has held the role of President at Marvel Studios for years, where he has overseen the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), now owned by The Walt Disney Company. The MCU has had a profound impact on the superhero film genre and the entire movie industry, leaving a lasting mark — despite differing viewpoints on the matter. The vast narrative known as the Infinity Saga concluded with the spectacular premieres of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), marking the culmination of Phase Three. Through its expansion and remarkable accomplishments, the franchise has undeniably solidified its position as a significant force in the film industry.
Related: Marvel Star Slams Studio, “It’s No Longer About Art, It’s About Shareholders”
Following the departure of the much-loved character Tony Stark, famously known as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), who made a valiant sacrifice to overcome Thanos (Josh Brolin), and Chris Evans bidding adieu to his portrayal of Steve Rogers/Captain America by passing on the Captain’s mantle, it’s clear that an opening has emerged for future superhero teams like the Fantastic Four and X-Men to step into the spotlight. With this shift, there is now ample room for fresh narratives to unfold prior to the occurrences of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. It seems evident that Marvel is actively working towards assembling their new roster in anticipation of these forthcoming Multiverse Saga events.
Marvel Studios’ Troubled Future
Regrettably, these ambitious endeavors to create the next cinematic experience akin to Infinity War and Endgame, coupled with the heightened pace of Marvel movie and TV production under the leadership of “Bob Chapek, CEO” in The Walt Disney Company era, have led to a notably strained and inadequately compensated workforce within Marvel Studios.
Related: Marvel Changes Character’s Race in New Casting, Sparks Intense Backlash
In addition to the prolonged Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which has extended for several months without a clear solution in sight, the film industry is grappling with an extra setback caused by the ongoing strike of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) actors guild. This strike has already commenced and is significantly impacting Hollywood productions across major studios. With a strike of VFX workers set to hit Marvel Studios very soon — the future of the MCU definitely needs some looking at.
Big Changes From Disney Higher-Ups
On the story and audience side however, it appears that the MCU is suffering in a totally different way. Reports of “superhero fatigue” are rampant, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe expanded rather rapidly post-Endgame. With multiple Marvel TV projects hitting the Disney+ (Disney Plus) platform, it seems like the “fatigue” is hitting hard enough that changes have to be made in order for the MCU to keep going.
Now, it appears that both Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige are keen to change this trend — by cutting content.
Hollywood insider CanWeGetSomeToast recently reported on the “MCU content bloat” that’s being felt by both Marvel fan audiences, indicating that both Iger and Feige are well aware of this trend. In fact, they are ready to take steps to rectify this. It seems like fans should be ready to “say goodbye” to the “6 episode $200 million budget Disney+ shows”:
MCU content bloat is real. Feige and Iger know this.
Say goodbye to the 6 episode $200 million budget Disney+ shows. https://twitter.com/haileternal/status/1691576343169728707
MCU content bloat is real. Feige and Iger know this.
Say goodbye to the 6 episode $200 million budget Disney+ shows. https://t.co/6d8fiybl6h
— CanWeGetSomeToast (@CanWeGetToast) August 15, 2023
It definitely seems like series such as underperforming-yet-pricey Samuel L. Jackson-led (Nick Fury) Secret Invasion (2023) have kickstarted more drastic measures. Despite several Marvel television homeruns like Loki (2021), Moon Knight (2022) and WandaVision (2021), the road for upcoming shows like Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Echo, Daredevil (bringing back Netflix Marvel’s Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock) and Riri Williams-led (Dominique Thorne) Ironheart may be less bright compared to before.
A smarter approach for the MCU would likely be to stick to higher quality (and more infrequent) one-offs like Marvel Studios Special Presentation projects like Werewolf By Night (2022) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), and increasing the quality of upcoming movies like Captain America: Brave New World (previously Captain America: New World Order), Armor Wars and Deadpool 3 starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular Deadpool from the 20th Century Fox (20th Century Studios) X-Men Universe — despite the success of several recent mainline Marvel films like Ryan Coogler-directed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) and James Gunn’s final bow in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). The main issue here seems to be consistency in quality, and a need to dive deeper into building out Marvel characters and their relationships.
Currently, the MCU continues to truck along with Marvel movies like Captain Marvel 2 AKA The Marvels (2023) next up on the Marvel Phase Five slate, and Jonathan Majors (Kang the Conqueror) is set to return in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and presumably, in Avengers: Secret Wars.
What do you think about Disney pulling back on Marvel Disney+ releases? Share your thoughts in the comments below!