It's old news that the Marvel Cinematic Universe ain't what it used to be. Even the common critiques are tired at this point: too many projects, too much "homework," an awkward streaming/film split, etc. -- you've heard it all before. So, apparently, has Kevin Feige, who seems to have no intention of moving on from his post as the head of Marvel Studios. In a recent in-depth interview with various members of the press, Feige discussed the struggles the MCU has faced over the last six years, as well
as plans for the future.
The goal for a while now has been lower budgets, fewer projects, and higher quality. That strategy led to one of the franchise's biggest critical successes in years when "Thunderbolts" was released in May. Unfortunately, the box office didn't keep up with the acclaim.
"'Thunderbolts*' I thought was a very, very good movie," Feige said while speaking with the press (per Variety). "But nobody knew that title and many of those characters were from a [TV] show." Feige is likely pretty on the money here. John Walker (Wyatt Russell) had only previously appeared in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," for instance, and several other characters -- Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Taskmaster (Olya Kurylenko) -- were from "Black Widow," one of the lesser-seen MCU movies.
A general loss of faith in the MCU after several lackluster projects may have also played a role, of course. "Some [audiences] were still feeling that notion of, 'I guess I had to have seen these other shows to understand who this is,'" Feige said. "If you actually saw the movie, that wouldn't be the case, and we make the movie so that's not the case. But I think we still have to make sure the audience understands that."
Read more: Every Marvel Character Locked Up In The Raft
Marvel Studios Is Looking To Recenter Things Going Forward
So far, 2025, hasn't been the MCU course-correcting year that Feige and other Disney execs likely hoped for. "Thunderbolts" got great reviews, but it didn't even crack $400 million globally, and according to Variety it needed to gross around $425 million just to break even. The film that came out just before it, "Captain America: Brave New World," didn't fare much better financially and got a notably worse critical reception. There's hope that "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" could turn Marvel's 2025 around, and early reactions have been very positive, but we won't know for sure until the film releases later this week.
Perhaps the strongest indicator there, apart from the stellar ensemble cast, is that "Fantastic Four" exists in its own, separate universe with a unique aesthetic, steering clear of the issues that Feige believes held "Thunderbolts" back. "We always were planning, even before that became a talking point, to introduce them in their own world in which they are the only heroes," Feige said at his recent media day (via Variety). "It is a no-homework-required movie. It literally is not connected to anything we've made before."
Maybe this can be the new hit Marvel Studios has been waiting for. It will have to compete with a long tail on James Gunn's "Superman" -- a film that opened to massive box office numbers, and which Feige gave high praise in the same interview. The answer for Marvel can't and won't be having every project feel independent, like "Fantastic Four," but there seems to be a renewed dedication to accessible, distinctive projects going forward.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
