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Marvel President Reflects on MCU’s Run and Developing The X-Men

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”12326″ img_size=”900×472″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]It is hard to believe that after ten years that we are where we are with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When Iron Man first came out, it was a movie that seemingly meant to be one that got Robert Downey Jr. off his feet again. The Incredible Hulk was just another reboot of a popular character. I don’t think anyone really knew what Marvel Studios was doing and that it would lead to a whole world that would essentially come to define Hollywood. Now, every director and studio is trying to make its own MCU; whether it’s with Star Wars, Glass, or even Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us. Time will tell if there can ever be another cinematic universe such as what we have today and realistically, it couldn’t have been done without one man.

Recently, Feige reflected on the journey, admitting how many times he had doubts over the direction that was being taken:

“It’s surreal. In one way it’s incredibly satisfying. In the other way it’s nearly unbelievable from where we started. There were days when I wasn’t sure we would be able to get ‘Iron Man’ in theaters. There were days when I thought ‘Avengers’ was a pipe dream. And there were days after ‘Avengers’ where I thought, ‘Well, where do we go?’”

Feige then continued:

“I think in a million years nobody would actively plan to build a studio the way Marvel Studios was built, but in hindsight, it was remarkably effective. We got to work at almost every studio in town except Warner Bros. and Disney, so we got to see the inner workings at the upper levels and got to learn amazing lessons from the inside, ways that we thought were good examples of how to make a movie, perhaps ways that were not as good. So when we ended up taking advantage of the pre-2008 market crash and got financing from Merrill Lynch — which Avi Arad and David Maisel put together and got a half a billion dollars for 10 characters — I was very excited, because at that point I was very, very ready to have the creative authority.”

Of course, Feige spoke about one of the biggest MCU movies, Black Panther and director Ryan Coogler:

“With what Ryan was doing, what he had to say, and vouching for crew members that we had not worked with before but that he believed in — he came in and blew us away with initial sort of presentations to get the job. For them to have stepped up and knocked it out of the park the way they did is incredible. It comes down to a filmmaker who has such a deft hand at being able to balance something that is going to have entertainment value with being true to his soul and being true to the questions he had growing up.”

One of the biggest questions with Marvel is the deal that is transpiring between Disney and Fox. Considering that the characters between the two studios have been separate for so long, fans are eager for Disney to own the X-Men in hopes of seeing finally everyone together. After all, it felt like we’d never see Spider-Man with the Avengers and now, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is one of the most beloved in the cinematic universe. Imagine seeing Captain America and Wolverine on screen together? Feige commented:

“We’ve been told it’s looking very, very good and could happen in the first six months of next year. The notion of the characters coming back is great. It’s nice when a company that created all these characters can have access to all those characters. It’s unusual not to. But in terms of actually thinking about it and actually planning things, we haven’t started that yet.”

Lastly, Feige talked about the man who had the most of an impact on Marvel, Stan Lee, who passed away not too long ago and admittedly, left a hole in many hearts:

“I was there not for everyone but for almost every cameo he’s ever shot going back to ‘X-Men’. He was very special. I’ve never heard one story of somebody meeting Stan and not being overwhelmed with excitement. He never disappointed. In some ways, I never thought this day would come. Kirk Douglas just turned 102. I thought Stan was going to be there. And in the same way it doesn’t seem like he’s gone. His influence will never go away.”

Captain Marvel is the next MCU movie to come out, which will hit theaters March 8, 2019.

Source: Variety[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]