Credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel StudiosA fan-favorite director from Sony Pictures’ corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is rallying behind Nia DaCosta’s Captain Marvel (2019) sequel, The Marvels (2023), after Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger chalked up its box office woes to a lack of “supervision on the set.” And contrary to Disney’s usual family-friendly approach, he had some, well, strong words to describe Iger’s remarks.
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Marvel Studios is continuing to navigate turbulent waters after an incredibly bleak year at the box office, made worse by its struggles on Disney+. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), which was supposed to kick off Phase Five with a bang, fell flat with audiences, while the Samuel L. Jackson Secret Invasion miniseries broke the unfortunate record of worst-rated MCU TV show of all time.
It’s no secret that Marvel has mostly failed to recapture the same magic that made its critically acclaimed Infinity Saga so memorable, with Phase Four feeling more like a vague trial and error period than the epic set-up to the Multiverse Saga it was supposed to be. Introducing dozens of fresh new characters to the already-sprawling film franchise has made it nearly impossible to keep track of everyone, and to make matters even more confusing, Disney keeps pumping out new series, TV specials, and spinoffs left and right.
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The interconnected narrative that made the once-mighty MCU great is now actively working against it, with the various MacGuffins, overlapping story threads, and seemingly aimless direction driving away casual fans by the thousands.
And Marvel’s issues aren’t strictly contained to their onscreen releases, either. Behind the camera, plenty of drama has erupted at the studio, with a damning exposé published by Variety last month detailing on-set arguments, reshoots, Kang the Conqueror backup plans if Jonathan Majors’ trial goes south, and its last-ditch attempt to “save” the franchise by bringing back the original Avengers.
While much of the report has been adamantly denied or straight-up disproven, it still opened the public’s eyes to the issues taking place at one of the biggest entertainment entities in Hollywood, signaling troubling times ahead — especially if the aftermath of the now-resolved WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which forced Marvel and several other studios to reshuffle their entire release slates.
Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger previously addressed the uncertainty surrounding Marvel Studios during a July interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, where he admitted that the company has been too focused on quantity instead of quality and that Marvel “diluted focus and attention” from fans by offering so many TV shows on Disney+.
His remarks didn’t exactly go over well with some, who accused Iger of being the one who forced Marvel into this position in the first place, milking the superhero studio for every penny in order to expand its catalog of Disney+ originals. Mostly, however, it signaled that Disney was finally ready to switch gears with Marvel and re-evaluate its release strategy, which is sorely needed — whether you agree with his comments or not.
The recent release of The Marvels only seemed to further solidify Marvel’s need for meaningful change behind the curtain. Although the comic book sequel, which saw Brie Larson reprising her role as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers alongside WandaVision alum Teyonah Parris and Ms. Marvel breakout star Iman Vellani, wasn’t egregiously bad by any means, to many, it was yet another lackluster installment in an otherwise unremarkable string of MCU movies.
Because of its underwhelming story and generally negative response to Brie Larson’s high-flying hero, The Marvels didn’t garner much interest, severely underperforming throughout its opening weekend. Now, nearly a month after its premiere, the film officially holds the crown for the lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time, having earned just $197 worldwide on its estimated production budget of $274.8 million.
While speaking at a New York Times business summit earlier this week, Iger had two things to blame for The Marvels’ box office bomb: lingering effects from the pandemic and a lack of on-set supervision. He explained that since the movie “was shot during Covid,” there “wasn’t as much supervision on the set,” adding, “so to speak, where we have executives [that are] really looking over what’s being done day after day after day.”
He also acknowledged that “woke” messaging in recent Marvel films has turned off a specific audience segment, stating, “Entertain first, not messages.” He added that “positive messages for the world” sometimes overwhelmed storytelling, with hot topics like sexuality, feminism, and gender identity popping up in MCU entries such as Eternals (2021) and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, to the dismay of many.
Understandably, Iger’s remarks have raised eyebrows across all corners of the internet, as he seems to be shifting blame onto the filmmakers and, specifically, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. After all, virtually zero movies have been improved by on-set supervision from studio execs, with corporate interference often getting in the way of a director being able to execute their — frequently, better — creative vision for the project.
And one Marvel director had some fiery, R-rated words for the Disney boss, taking to social media to respond to Iger’s critique of The Marvels. Peter Ramsey, best known for co-directing Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), as well as a few episodes of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, weighed in on Iger’s recent interview on X, writing bluntly, “Astounding level of bullsh*t”in response to Variety‘s coverage:
Astounding level of bullshit https://t.co/E4Rj1NHMd7
— Peter (or is it?) Ramsey (@pramsey342) November 30, 2023
The filmmaker went on to share his belief that Iger “has to sound like he’s got an answer” in the replies. When one fan pointed out Taika Waititi’s ill-fated Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) could have done with a little more supervision on set, Ramsey argued, “How do you know that it wasn’t ‘supervision’ that caused what you don’t like about it?”
How do you know that it wasn’t “supervision” that caused what you don’t like about it?
— Peter (or is it?) Ramsey (@pramsey342) November 30, 2023
Later, he shared his opinion that,”Nothing happens on those movies [without] lots of scrutiny from Feige and co. Marvel’s issues seem to go deeper than that.” While it’s hard to say if Ramsey believes Feige’s intervention on MCU productions is a good or bad thing, the director did suggest that are are far more substantial “issues” taking place at Marvel HQ than a lack of on-set supervision, implying that he believes Nia DaCosta shouldn’t be blamed for The Marvels’ box office bomb.
Sorry, that’s just silly. Nothing happens on those movies w/out lots of scrutiny from Feige and co. Marvel’s issues seem to go deeper than that.
— Peter (or is it?) Ramsey (@pramsey342) November 30, 2023
Given that Ramsey worked on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), which is only one of two superhero movies to be considered a financial success this year, hearing these accusations from him, of all people, isn’t exactly a good look for Disney. His perspective on Marvel’s box office woes is especially trustworthy, too, having, presumably, experienced much of the studio interference — or perhaps, lack thereof — brought up by Iger.
Personal feelings aside, considering just how much blame has unfairly been laid at the feet of his fellow filmmaker, it’s easy to see why Ramsey came to DaCosta’s defense here. Sadly, the up-and-coming director was caught up in a whirlwind of things undeniably out of her control, making her MCU debut smack dab in the middle of the actors’ strike, all while being thrown to the lions, as making a successful sequel to one of the most universally-hated Marvel entries was sure to be tricky.
Ultimately, it seems like Iger just can’t seem to say the right thing at the right time, as he ruffled feathers again earlier this year after calling striking WGA members’ demands “unrealistic.” With Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (TBA) on the not-do-distant horizon, Ramsey certainly has the chance to prove the Disney CEO wrong about the importance of on-set supervision, as the Sony/Marvel camp has historically operated outside of the confines of the MCU — and has still been massively successful.
It’ll be interesting to hear if Feige, Iger, or even other Marvel veterans step forward and side themselves with Peter Ramsey somewhere down the line. But for now, one thing’s for sure: the MCU needs to change, and soon.
Do you agree with what Bob Iger said about The Marvels? Let us know in the comments below!