Marvel Needs To Replace Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige helped turn Marvel into the biggest movie franchise in the world, working with various writers and directors to turn individual movies into a massive interconnected universe. His particular vision helped the universe through the Infinity saga, but it has become clear he’s not the right person to guide the MCU out of its current decline. From my perspective, many of the problems in the current MCU come from Feige attempting to recreate his early success, leading me to think it’s time for a new MCU President.
The Formula
After the success of the Infinity Saga, Marvel launched almost immediately into its next arc, the Multiverse Saga. This turned the unique storytelling structure Kevin Feige helped create, reminiscent of how superhero comics are made, into an undeniable formula.
Rushing into such an obvious, formulaic approach turned audiences off and felt rushed, leaving little room for new characters to establish themselves separate from the overarching plot.
The Multiverse
The extended, multi-year, approach demonstrates a commitment to the Marvel formula, with Kevin Feige sticking with it even as it became clear audiences didn’t want that.
The perfect chance to wrap up the Multiverse saga came with Loki season 2’s finale, but little seems to have changed given the multiverse’s role in Deadpool & Wolverine and The Marvels. Trying to recreate the Infinity Saga made some sense, but the inability to pivot proves Feige is over-committed to his story structure.
Behind The Scenes Drama
With so many production problems at Marvel, it’s also obvious that Kevin Feige and Disney have failed the franchise from a managerial standpoint.
Inconsistent CGI and overworked visual effects artists have been a problem for years, but production schedules weren’t adjusted until after multiple box office flops forced the issue.
The ongoing issues behind the scenes of Blade, further prove that there are deep-seated problems with how the franchise is being run.
RDJ’s Return
The most blatant attempt to recapture Kevin Feige’s early Marvel success is the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom. Building on the audience’s love for Iron Man, the announcement was meant to rally fans around the beloved actor’s return.
Instead of excitement, many fans, myself included, felt like it was an obvious miscasting made as a desperate attempt at fanservice.
It was the stunt casting of Downey that made me think Kevin Feige’s time with Marvel needs to come to an end. It’s impossible to recapture the success of the early MCU, but Feige seems too focused on that past to try anything new.
A fresh perspective on the franchise could help guide it in a new direction before it’s lost too much audience faith to recover.
Time For New Management
Kevin Feige’s involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have been critical early on, but I think it’s time to pass the reigns. Much like the DCEU being rebooted under James Gunn and Peter Safran as the DCU, it’s time for the MCU to look for new leadership from both a business and creative standpoint.
As a lifelong fan of Marvel, I’d rather see the franchise take risks with something new than watch it devour itself trying repeatedly to recreate the success of Iron Man.
