Kevin Feige: I want the Marvel Cinematic Universe to last for decades

Following Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has now expanded to 31 films, having now been releasing films steadily for 15 years, starting with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man in 2008. Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Phase 4" has unfolded, it has expanded significantly and expanded into television, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kevin Feige was asked about how he keeps the Marvel Cinematic Universe fresh. He explained that the MCU is an experimental film series, but expressed the intention to keep it running for decades. "It's like when people go to a comic book store, there are all kinds of different series of comics, and people have a lot of choices. That's why these comics have been around for more than 80 years, and I hope Marvel Studios can last that long, or even longer. So, we have to continue to do different types of things."

When discussing new ideas for the film universe, Feige also revealed that he and his team are always trying to make new works different from previous works. He pointed out that the She-Hulk TV series is an interesting exploration for the team. Comparing it to the 90s legal drama Ally McBeal, setting a superhero comedy in the legal world is an idea that keeps Marvel Studios fresh and thriving.

At present, the MCU seems to have a lot of obstacles to continue. First of all, the MCU's movie model seems to have been tired of by the audience. Feige specifically pointed out that Marvel Studios intends to release eight works every year. Unfortunately, the scripts of the fourth phase of the MCU have not been well received. Movies such as "Eternals", "Thor 4" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Madness" have been criticized for their scripts. Before "Eternals", the MCU had never had a "bad movie" on Rotten Tomatoes, and the score of "Thor 4" was almost at the standard of a bad movie, and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Madness" is currently not much different from the score of "Eternals".

Beyond that, the movies have been criticized for being too cheesy. While many comic book storylines have mature themes, the MCU has changed those stories to be more family-friendly. For example, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) is a strong villain in the comics, but he's a weak character in the movies. The "Demon in a Bottle" story about Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) struggling with alcoholism was turned into a side plot in Iron Man 2, and then seemingly never returned. If the MCU wants to last another 80 years, Marvel Studios needs to up its game and focus on tighter scripts.