Summary:
- Kevin Feige admits Marvel overexpanded post-Endgame, overwhelming fans with too much content.
- MCU pivots to fewer, more focused stories; Doctor Doom, X-Men, and Fantastic Four lead the way.
- Secret Wars will “reset” the timeline, opening doors to recasts, reboots, and simplified entry points.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading into a major new phase. After dominating the box office and building the largest franchise in Hollywood history, Marvel Studios is now undergoing a crucial shift.
MCU head, Kevin Feige, opened up about past mistakes in a rare and in-depth interview at Marvel headquarters in Burbank. He also revealed what’s coming next, and how the Multiverse Saga is set to lead into a massive reset of all that we’ve seen up to this point.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of Marvel’s future, according to Kevin Feige in a recent interview.
Table of Contents
Marvel’s Overexpansion Problem: “Too Much, Too Fast”
Feige candidly acknowledged what fans and critics have been complaining about for years. After Endgame, things got too fast. Between 2008 and 2019, Marvel delivered about 50 hours of storytelling. But in a mere six years since Endgame, that number has more than doubled.
“It’s too much,” Feige acknowledged. With films such as Shang-Chi and Eternals piling up alongside a wave of Disney+ shows, most fans felt overwhelmed. What was once a neat, interconnected universe began to feel like homework that you’d have to complete.
“It’s that expansion that I think led people to say, ‘Do I have to see all of these? It used to be fun, but now do I have to know everything about all of these?’ And I think The Marvels hit it hardest where people are like, ‘OK, I recognize her from a billion-dollar movie. But who are those other two? I guess they were in some TV show. I’ll skip it,” – Feige said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
The New Plan: Quality Over Quantity
Marvel has already started dialing things back. In the future, they plan to release no more than three movies a year, plus only one live-action series a year. For Feige, this will leave creators more breathing room and result in better, standalone storytelling.
He referenced shows like Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man as a prime example of the shift. He further explained how Marvel is “returning to letting a TV show be a TV show,” echoing the spirit of earlier standalone series like Agent Carter and Jessica Jones.
Thunderbolts and the “Homework” Problem
Even though Feige praised Thunderbolts as one of Marvel’s strongest recent films, he also acknowledged that the marketing of the film didn’t go well. It was loaded with unfamiliar characters and was tied to shows that the majority had not watched. “Nobody knew that title,” he said. “Some of those characters were from a show.”
Even though the movie didn’t require you to have watched anything beforehand, audiences still felt that way. To make up for it, future MCU films will be more accessible and self-contained so that fans don’t feel left behind.
The Big Reset: Avengers: Secret Wars, X-Men and the Future of the MCU
Set to release in 2027, Avengers: Secret Wars will wrap up the Multiverse Saga and serve as a “reset” for the MCU. “Reboot is a scary word,” Feige explained. Instead, he thinks it is an opportunity to reconfigure MCU’s timeline and set the stage for the next generation of heroes.
This reset opens the door to new actors playing iconic characters, including the X-Men, and possibly even recasts of Iron Man and Captain America. “Reboot can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines.” Feige said.
He also confirmed that a new X-Men movie is indeed in production with Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier at the helm.
Doctor Doom Replaces Kang as the Main Villain
Following Jonathan Majors’ exit, Marvel has pivoted away from Kang as the primary villain. Feige revealed that even before Majors’ legal troubles, they were already planning to establish Doctor Doom as the new primary villain, as they thought he wasn’t big enough like Thanos.
“That there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades,” Feige added. Talks about Doom’s future with Robert Downey Jr. even began before Ant-Man 3 came out, demonstrating just how ahead of schedule the shift was planned.
What’s Happening with Blade, Miles Morales, and Punisher
Feige confirmed that Blade is continuing with Mahershala Ali, although it has gone through a succession of script drafts. After considering different time periods, Marvel opted for a modern-day approach. “We didn’t want to put a leather outfit on him and have him start slaying vampires,” Feige joked.
As for Miles Morales, fans hoping to see a live-action version will have to wait. “That is nowhere,” said Feige, noting that Sony still owns the character rights, at least through the end of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2027.
Meanwhile, Punisher is getting a TV-MA special on Disney+ starring Jon Bernthal. That being said, Feige explained that the tone will change based on where he appears. “When Punisher is in the Spider-Man movie, it’ll be a different tonality,” Feige explained.
Fantastic Four: A New Beginning and No Homework Necessary
Feige is especially thrilled by The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which releases on July 25, 2025. It will be Marvel’s first full creative take on the iconic team, and, most crucially, it won’t require viewers to catch up on previous lore.
The film is set in a retro-styled alternate 1960s universe, separate from Earth-616 and unaffected by events like Thanos’ snap. It’s meant to be a clean slate, particularly for new viewers. For longtime viewers, Feige even hinted at cameos from the unreleased 1994 Fantastic Four film.
A Spider-Man and Human Torch Crossover Could Be In The Works
Feige also hinted at a thrilling new possibility: a crossover between Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Joseph Quinn’s Human Torch. “That’s one of the key relationships in Marvel comics,” Feige said. “Now it is in the realm of possibility. That’s exciting.”
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With Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Fantastic Four scheduled for release within a year of each other, a crossover seems more likely than ever, potentially paving the way for major team-ups in Avengers: Doomsday and beyond.
Looking Ahead: Smaller Budgets, Bigger Ideas
Marvel is also changing the manner in which it produces its films. Budgets are being slashed by up to a third in some cases, as we’ve seen in the cases of Deadpool & Wolverine, and Fantastic Four. The studio has taken inspiration from low-budget sci-fi films such as The Creator and is working out how to provide spectacle without ballooning costs.
Feige also touched on the evolving creative process off-camera. “There’s plus-ing happening every day on the Avengers: Doomsday set right now,” he said, highlighting the constant refinements and new ideas happening on set. Writers like Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron (Loki) are now collaborating on Avengers: Doomsday.
Final Thoughts
Kevin Feige’s statement foreshadows a turning point for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From limiting content output and revamping the villain roster to resetting timelines and recasting iconic characters, Marvel is being reshaped for long-term sustainability.
With Fantastic Four, Secret Wars, and X-Men leading the way, Marvel is preparing for a bold new phase, one where quality, clarity, and creativity come first.
You can check out this feature to keep track of every Marvel movie planned to release in Phase 6 and beyond.
