The Marvel Cinematic Universe has existed for about 15 years now, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. Sure, the franchise has faced its fair share of criticism, but for over a decade and a half, it has managed to entertain audiences multiple times every year. That’s something no other film franchise has managed to do until now. But one has to wonder: how long will the MCU be able to successfully continue doing this? When will the franchise come to an end? After all, there will come a time when Marvel Studios will have nothing more to offer. But Marvel boss Kevin Feige doesn’t think so. Instead, he thinks that the MCU can go on for about a century and then some more.
Kevin Feige Wants The MCU To Run Till The Next Century
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kevin Feige revealed that, just like Marvel comics, which have existed for more than 80 years, he wants the same to happen to Marvel Studios. His statement is eyebrow-raising, but the Marvel boss understands that one has to adapt and change to keep going for that long, especially in an era where films and shows become stale fast. He expressed that Marvel Studios will continue trying to do different sorts of things to keep audiences returning.
However, he understands the risks of doing that as well. Feige says that he would love to make projects that appeal to every single human. But he knows that, realistically, that’s an impossible goal. Also, if they try to do that, they will find themselves making projects that will only fit a narrow funnel, and things will get boring and similar very fast.
What Is Kevin Feige Planning To Do Differently in the MCU?
The various projects of the MCU can seem very similar at a glance, but the studio has been experimenting with various styles, themes, etc., for more than a decade. However, most fans and casual viewers noticed this experimentation in Phase 4 of the franchise. From the self-aware sitcom of “WandaVision” to the horror of “Doctor Strange 2,” the mental illness of “Moon Knight,” the fourth-wall breaking of “She-Hulk,” and more, Phase 4 has been the MCU’s most overt experimental phase.
Speaking of “She-Hulk,” Kevin Feige specifically mentioned it and explained that the idea of doing a legal comedy in the vein of “Ally McBeal ” but making the titular character a superhero was intentional. He said that it was one of the most experimental projects he has done. In the Entertainment Weekly interview, the MCU boss further talked about the team’s experiments. He said that they made Disney+ TV shows only about those characters who could only be given shows and not movies or anything else.
Feige also said that he wants to continue making episodes self-contained. While this might seem counterintuitive in a franchise whose main selling point is an interconnected universe, Feige believes that there are benefits to offering self-contained episodes. He thinks it will allow viewers to watch an episode without worrying about the greater franchise lore. Kevin also said that they are going to experiment with that idea further in upcoming shows.
The interviewer then asked the MCU head honcho if balancing telling stories about an interconnected universe while also attempting to find new viewers was difficult. Feige says that has been their methodology from the very beginning—to offer a more or less self-contained experience for casual viewers while also offering hardcore fans of the franchise more to discover in terms of lore.
In fact, Kevin said that people like to dive deep into the lore of the franchise since they find it fun to connect one project to the next. However, in the end, he admitted that it is indeed difficult to do both always. It’s also more difficult because Marvel Studios is busy developing multiple projects every year, and that number has only increased as the years have gone by. In fact, one of the major complaints of Phase 4 was the lack of a proper release gap between any two projects.
Fans complained that any two given projects were released so close to each other that there wasn’t time to digest one and then get hyped for the other, also, even though Feige and co. Tried to experiment with various projects, but most of them weren’t executed well or fell short due to abysmal CGI. However, Feige promised that he would be determined to correct that by spacing out the Marvel shows. So going forward, we won’t be seeing so many projects get released so close to each other.
As per current rumors, apart from “Secret Invasion” and “Loki” season 2, no other MCU show is getting released in 2023. This, combined with only three movies getting released this year—”Ant-Man 3,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” and “The Marvels”—means that only a total of 5 projects could be released in 2023. But whether that actually happens or not remains to be seen.
See more: Kevin Feige Reveals The First Goal Of Marvel Studios, And It Makes A Lot Of Sense