Avengers: Endgame is shaping up to be a big watershed moment in the history of Marvel Studios. However, it will also herald the next chapter of the MCU, which will see the introduction of several new characters. Some of these characters, most notably the X-Men, have spent the last two decades firmly planted under the Fox umbrella. But now that Disney owns that studio’s IP, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to undergo a significant mutation. In a new interview with Variety, Kevin Feige addresses once again what this means for the franchise’s future.
“The specifics of what it means remains to be seen, but overall it’s wonderful and it feels like these characters have come home,” related Feige. “We spent 12 years at Marvel Studios really embracing and digging into all the stories of characters who had never been brought to the screen before, but there would be times when we’d have a supporting player or a reference point or something for a movie and legal would go, ‘don’t forget that character’s on that other list and you don’t have access to it. I’m not talking about Professor X or Wolverine, but there are thousands of characters in those brands and we’d shrug and go okay and figure out another solution. It will be nice to not have to do that.”
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As for Deadpool, Feige echoed Disney CEO Bob Iger’s earlier promise not to mess with the films’ R-rated tone. “When we were purchased, Bob said to us, ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,’” said Feige. “There’s no question that Deadpool is working, so why would we change it?”
Feige also offered an update about Marvel’s upcoming TV series slated to premiere on Disney+. The new streaming service is currently developing vehicles for heavy-hitters like Loki, WandaVision, Falcon and Winter Soldier, and What If?. With this, expect the shows to overlap with the movies in ways the series on other platforms never could.
“These episodes will intersect with the movies in a very big way,” said Feige. “It’s a totally new form of storytelling that we get to play with and explore. It’s the first long-form narrative that Marvel Studios has done — they’ll be six episodes, eight episodes, 10 episodes with the actors from the films playing their characters. They’ll be changing, evolving, growing in those event series and then those changes will be reflected in their next film appearances.”
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