Marvel Updates from Kevin Feige: Multiverse Saga, The Future of the MCU, Disney+ & More

by Darian Scalamoni

    Marvel is in a very interesting transitional period. Following their massive Infinity Saga that wrapped up with Avengers: Endgame, they have had mixed results critically with Phase 4. At the end of the fourth Avengers film, we see the demise of Tony Stark, Steve Rogers going off to age and have a life with Peggy and the death of Natasha as well. While Thor, Hulk and Hawkeye remain as original Avengers that are still operating within the MCU, they are in a transitional phase as well. 

    Let's start with Thor. His latest solo film, Love and Thunder brought back Taika Waititi, the beloved director of Thor: Ragnarok but the movie was torn apart by most critics and fans for being lackluster and overly jokey whilst dealing with serious subject matter such as Jane Foster's cancer diagnosis and having Christian Bale turn in a terrific performance as Gorr the God Butcher without butchering a single God on screen. While it was a misfire, we also saw Thor adopt a daughter, Love at the end of the feature. 

    Next, we have Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Though he was seen in a post-credit scene in an early Phase 4 film with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, he's been mostly out of the spotlight post-Endgame. He has a big supporting role in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which personally for me, was the biggest miss in the MCU. Though I thought Tatiana Maslany did a great job in the role, major issues with CGI as well as being tonally all over the place, the series did not do well with majority of MCU fandom. 

    Finally, we have Hawkeye, or Clint Barton, played by Jeremy Renner who got his own Christmas-centric self-titled Disney+ series which I enjoyed more than most. However, that series also introduced a transitional passing of the torch so to speak with the introduction of Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. And while all of this is exciting, it seems fans felt things might have hit an overload since the pandemic. 

    Phase 4 has a whopping 18 projects across film, live-action television and animated television which made fans more confused and convoluted than ever. Despite Marvel doing a great job of interconnectivity over the years, the implementation of the Disney+ series and specials have made it hard for even the most diehard fans to stay interested across all mediums. Kevin Feige sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about the upcoming release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania but also answered a lot of questions about the MCU going forward.

    Feige first began talking about why Kang the Conqueror played by Jonathan Majors was the perfect follow-up big bad after Thanos; "He's the highest-testing villain we've ever had in any of our friends and families screenings. That's really saying something with a movie like this. Even early on without the effects, Jonathan is his own effect." Feige later confirmed it was Majors performance in the cult indie hit The Last Black Man in San Francisco that nabbed him the role. Majors first showed up as a variant of Kang called He Who Remains in the final episode of the first season of Loki, which was one of my favorite Phase 4 projects. 

    Further explaining the current convoluted state of the Multiverse Saga, Feige alluded to how within the last saga, not every project seemed to align on the offset. "Not every film in the Infinity Saga focused on the Infinity Stones or Thanos, and it'll be the same across 5 and 6. But we're gearing up. People will get a taste of this in a big way in Quantumania as we lead to Avengers: Secret Wars, which I'm extremely excited for." While Quantumania is the first MCU film that deals heavily within the Quantum Realm, it was an interesting surprise that the mostly comedic hero of Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) would be headlining and facing such a ruthless adversary.

    But again, this is new territory for Marvel as Secret Wars tells an epic, multiverse-spanning adventure that has been split basically into two larger Avengers films. "The storylines that weave together through Phase 5 and 6 into Secret Wars and the opportunities that the multiverse brings storytelling-wise, it's a whole new aspect to the MCU." This new territory also marked the introduction of many new faces within the Marvel comics lore heading to the big screen and Disney's streaming service. Shang-Chi, Yelena Bolova, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and Namor have emerged as early favorites from fans while other characters have been given more of a spotlight such as Anthony Mackie's Falcon turned Captain America, Elizabeth Olsen's villainous becoming of the Scarlet Witch and of course, Tom Holland's take on Peter Parker which met other multiversal versions of himself in live-action teaming with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. 

    Feige alluded to the content boom and how things will change in terms of output, particularly on Disney+ with TV series. "I do think one of the powerful aspects of being at Marvel Studios is having these films and shows hit the zeitgeist. It is harder to hit the zeitgeist when there's so much product out there and so much 'content,' as they say, which is a word that I hate." Feige laughed that off before proceeding with talking particularly about the pace of the current and future phases: "The pace at which we're putting out the Disney+ shows will change so they can each get a chance to shine." The interviewer then asked if this meant that there would be less shows altogether or if that answer meant the shows would be spaced out more in a longer timeframe, "Both, I think."

    Tuning back into the streaming series for Marvel, they've often felt all over the place. Some shows feel like they should've been shorter, while others had much more they could've explored. Since they have mostly stuck with a mandated number of episodes, it seems that more Feature Presentations such as Werewolf by Night might work better to introduce some characters or bring others back (please give Justin Hammer his time to shine!) However, Feige has learned from starting to do television and he hopes Marvel Studios can get to a place where their series truly feel episodic, similar to other popular shows such as Lost. "I guess the learnings have been that you are rewarded creatively and by the audience by going to unexpected places. We want to do shows that can only be shows. I want to continue to make them even more episodic, which may seem counterintuitive. But I do think there is something fun about leaning back and watching an episode that can be relatively self-contained." I couldn't agree more with Feige here, part of what makes shows like Atlanta and more recently, The Last of Us fun is giving different perspectives and experiences for characters in these one-off stories that function as great devices to further along the overarching narrative.

    "Lost was an incredibly influential show because it was this serialized story, which was not seen in television much. Now it's been how long, 20 years? Since then, almost everything has become like that. So now, and I think you're seeing this not just with our shows, but with many other shows, you're starting to see the fun of a self-contained episodic story week-to-week. We're going to experiment with that in some of our upcoming things."

    Within this long-spanning interview, Feige also touched on the impact and importance of Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine for Marvel Studios' first R-rated adventure in Deadpool 3. He sprinkled in his excitment for The Marvels which brings together Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonnah Parris teaming to further the story from Captain Marvel as well as the impact of the war of Skrulls vs. Kree in the upcoming series, Secret Invasion. Additionally, we got confirmation that Harrison Ford will indeed be replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, now the President of the United States who goes head-to-head with a former ally in Sam Wilson for Captain America: New World Order. Thunderbolts also begins filming soon with Bucky Barnes finally leading his own squad, as well as news that Mahershala Ali's Blade begins shooting 10 weeks from now with new director Yann Demange in tow. 

    Finally, Feige did confirm that we will "soon" be getting news on Matt Shakman's rebooted Fantastic Four and that Avengers: Kang Dynasty will be directed by Shang-Chi director, Destin Daniel Cretton.

    What upcoming Marvel projects are you most excited about? Are you getting exhausted by the current output of MCU content? Let us know in the comments!