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Credit: Disney+Kevin Feige has held the role of President at Marvel Studios for years, overseeing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), now under The Walt Disney Company. The MCU has had a profound impact on the superhero film genre and the movie industry as a whole — despite differing points of view on the matter. The movie-spanning narrative known as the Infinity Saga concluded with the spectacular premieres of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), marking the culmination of Marvel’s Phase Three.
Related: Disney Under Scrutiny as Disney+ Marvel Budgets Revealed
Disney and Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have had an interesting past few years.
When The Walt Disney Company’s streaming platform Disney+ (Disney Plus) debuted under then-CEO Bob Chapek, the media giant rushed to beef up their catalog of Disney+ Original programming. One of the main pillars of this new streamer would be Marvel television offerings, with the superhero studios abandoning their Netflix exclusive agreement (and its “street-level” Defenders characters like Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock), instead working to bring the movie Marvel universe to home viewers.
Unfortunately, that strategy has proven more of a curse than a boon, as Disney find themselves amidst reports of “superhero fatigue” and middling box office takings from their once-golden goose, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now, following reports that Disney CEO Bob Iger is keen to “trim the bloat” from the multi-million dollar MCU by cutting back on simply throwing money at the problem, new reports now claim that Disney is planning to seriously reduce the volume of MCU content — and totally shift its focus into the worlds of animation for Marvel TV and rejuvenating their live-action approach.
A New Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Related: Every Marvel Studios Disney+ Original So Far, Ranked
Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman has begun reporting on Disney and Marvel Studios’ new plan to further combat “superhero fatigue” and dwindling audience interest.
The company appears to be wiping its future Disney+ Marvel slate clean and doing away with live-action Disney+ shows, instead focusing on higher-quality live-action movies and animation in the TV sphere. Richtman also cites that Marvel wants to focus on a more “grounded” approach for the live-action shows Marvel fans do get in the near future:
Marvel not developing too many live action shows at the moment, focusing on animated stuff and live action movies. Next live action shows we’ll get from them will be more grounded.
Marvel not developing too many live action shows at the moment, focusing on animated stuff and live action movies. Next live action shows we'll get from them will be more grounded.
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) February 25, 2024
Despite recent successes like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), consistency in quality remains a challenge.
It’s now evident that costly series such as the Samuel L. Jackson-led (Nick Fury) Secret Invasion (2023) without a coherent vision are steps in the wrong direction. While Marvel television has seen successes like Loki (2021), Moon Knight (2022), and WandaVision (2021), upcoming shows like Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, Echo, and Daredevil: Born Again alongside Ironheart led by Dominique Thorne are likely to tend towards that aforementioned “grounded” quality.
Another strategic move for the Marvel Disney+ slate could also involve focusing on higher-quality, less frequent projects akin to Marvel Studios Special Presentation endeavors like Werewolf By Night (2022) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022). Meanwhile, enhancing the caliber of upcoming films such as Captain America: Brave New World (formerly Captain America: New World Order), Armor Wars, and Deadpool & Wolverine/Deadpool 3, featuring Ryan Reynolds reprising Deadpool/Wade Wilson from the Fox X-Men Universe, could be beneficial.
Considering that Marvel Studios has a single movie planned for 2024 — Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool/Wade Wilson) and Hugh Jackman-led (Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett) Deadpool & Wolverine AKA Deadpool 3 — it seems like movie-going audiences will certainly get a significant break from the Marvel machine.
Unfortunately, Sony’s constant Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) releases might muddy those waters, considering many are unaware of the difference between the SSU and the MCU. With Madame Web‘s (2024) abysmal performance and more movies like Kraven the Hunter and Venom 3 set to release, hopefully, “superhero bloat” will actually be aided by Marvel Studios staying quiet for the year — instead of having its genre reputation tarnished by Sony’s less-than-stellar comic book movie slate.
What do you think of Disney and Marvel Studios pulling back on releases? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!