Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and Co-President Louis D’Esposito have acknowledged the problems with MCU projects in recent years. The two admitted that Marvel had diluted itself in its plan to expand and have suggested countermeasures to fix things in the future.
Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito address Marvel’s lean patch and comeback plans
After seeing major success throughout its first three phases, MCU blew hot and cold across Phases Four and Five. However, it appears that Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito took their last few failures as a positive sign to help them get back on track.
In an interview with Empire, D’Esposito mentioned that taking a hit was almost necessary for them. He said:
“If we just stayed on top, that would have been the worst thing that could have happened to us. We took a little hit, we’re coming back strong.”
D’Esposito agreed that doing too much could dilute the brand, so Marvel will not follow that pattern anymore. He stated:
“We learned our lesson. Maybe two to three films a year and one or two shows, as opposed to doing four films and four shows.”
Further, he reiterated Bob Iger’s Marvel plans to scale back and counter the ongoing superhero fatigue. Meanwhile, Kevin Feige was happy to rally behind just one project, Deadpool & Wolverine, in 2024.
He stated that he’d prefer to be the underdog and have the ability to surprise viewers and “exceed expectations.” He continued by saying that 2023 provided a perfect setup for Marvel to bounce back in 2024 and beyond.
Due to delays caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine will be followed by four movies in 2025. But following the releases of Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), Thunderbolts (May 2, 2025), Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), and Blade (November 7, 2025), we could expect Marvel’s three-movie formula to return from the late-2010s from 2026 and beyond.
