Is there a studio that has had a better decade than Marvel Studios? Honestly, even parent company Disney has had more setbacks than the Kevin Feige led subsidiary. Well, according to the aforementioned Marvel Studios boss, success breeds an interesting issue — complete trust.
Speaking at the New York Film Academy (via Comicbook / Collider), Feige talked about the success of Marvel Studios and the unique problem that causes, as well as how the studio hopes to combat the biggest complaint facing the films of the last decade.
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As far as the first issue, apparently one of the worst parts about dominating the box office and creating a legion of fans that will devote hours of their lives each day to obsessing over the characters in the films (while they cry over sneak peek footage in trailers) is the fact that being a huge success can lead to complacency and a lack of motivation to defy expectations. Basically, being the underdog that has something to prove is way better than just being the big dog in the industry that is expected to deliver a winner three (or more) times a year.
“Up to this point, staying true with our vision has connected with fans. Even when that’s [with] unexpected choices… with filmmakers they haven’t heard of or actors which still happens sometimes,” Feige said. “What used to happen is that there’d be a big outcry and people would bemoan the choice and say it’s terrible. I’d say, ‘Alright, everybody. Let’s prove them wrong and do the work.'”
He added, “Now, and I don’t know if this makes me any more comfortable, they say, ‘Oh, I don’t know who that is, but I trust them.’ I’m like, ‘Don’t trust us. We have to prove it. We have to work to prove it to you.’”
We’ll have to see if this lack of pressure from the fans leads to any sort of lull in creativity over the next phase of films that begins in 2020, ushering in the true post-‘Endgame’ era at Marvel Studios.
Now, if there was one issue that still plagues Marvel currently and will be the source of much debate moving forward is with the studio’s lack of diversity and inclusivity in the first two dozen films. Outside of “Black Panther” and “Captain Marvel,” the stars of the MCU have, by and large, been white males. Well, according to Feige, that’s going to change in a big, big way as we move into Phase 4 and beyond.
When asked about LGBTQ+ representation in films, the producer pointed to “a film that we’re shooting right now” as a huge step in the right direction. That film is presumably “Eternals,” which has been rumored to feature one of the leads being a member of the LGBTQ+ community. And much like “Black Panther” before it, apparently, the upcoming ‘Shang-Chi,’ directed by Daniel Destin Cretton, is going to push diversity in a huge way, with Feige teasing that the cast is “98% Asian.”
Another important step for Feige in promoting diversity and inclusivity is the fact that both films coming from Marvel Studios in 2020 (“Black Widow” and “Eternals”) are directed by women, Cate Shortland and Chloe Zhao, respectively.
The first of those films, “Black Widow,” arrives in theaters on May 1, 2020.