Apart from stiff competition between celebrities for supremacy in Hollywood, the battle between franchises is also one that has been going on for years. One of the most iconic tussles involves two massive superhero franchises, Marvel and DC. With films of the MCU and the DCU going head to head and vying for top honors, it is assumed that the rivalry on and off-screen between the franchises and fans would be an intense one.
Marvel head Kevin Feige though, has had a very different view on the competition between Marvel and DC. The producer who is credited with taking Marvel to great heights in the cinematic universe, said that he was someone who wished to see every superhero’s narrative succeed irrespective of the franchise.
Kevin Feige’s Take On The Marvel-DC Rivalry
Marvel and DC have been intense competitors from the comic book world to their cinematic universes. With each franchise having its loyal and ardent fan base for support, there have been times when the online banter between MCU and DCU buffs has taken a volatile turn. Marvel head Kevin Feige who is instrumental in making Marvel a force to reckon with on screen, spoke about the pressures of maintaining the high standards.
The producer also had an interesting take on the rivalry between Marvel and DC and said that DC’s success further ensured that the superhero genre was in safe hands and augurs well for the future of both franchises. Speaking of the massive hype around the 2008 films, Marvel’s Iron Man and DC’s The Dark Knight and the failure of Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern, Feige said,
“Yes, but I feel pressure with every movie we make, every single one is a reflection. Frankly, even not-Marvel movies I feel pressure on. Look at the movie that just came out recently and didn’t perform the way people thought it would perform and all of the headlines are, ‘Oh, are people tired of the comic book genre? Is this the beginning of the end of the superhero genre?’ So when there’s a ‘Dark Knight,’ I go, ‘Oh, thank God. That’s great.’
Feige went on to elaborate that while rivalry between fans was something to be expected owing to their passion and loyalty to their superheroes, the franchises were always looking to indulge in healthy competition that would help keep one another afloat in the industry.
Also Read: Robert Downey Jr Left Kevin Feige Helpless With the Most Genius Way to Battle Hunger on Avengers Set
Kevin Feige Planning An MCU Reboot With Avengers: Secret Wars?
The MCU is currently in Phase 5 of its mammoth 6-Phase cinematic universe pioneered by Marvel head Kevin Feige. While the films of Phase 4 and the early projects of Phase 5 haven’t really lit up the box office, it looks like Feige might be going all out to ensure that his multiple narratives and universes culminate perfectly through a massive reboot. The Arrowverse creator Marc Guggenheim spoke openly about the problems that Marvel was facing and why a reboot from the ground up could benefit Kevin Feige and the franchise. Speaking of speculative reports on what could be seen in Avengers: Secret Wars, Guggenheim said at The Aarthi and Sriram Show,
“My guess is what they are building up to, is the Secret Wars that they’ve announced is not the Secret Wars of the 1980s, it’s Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars which basically was sort of like a reset for the Marvel Universe. So I think they are gonna, if they do what I expect them to do, they will end up pruning the tree,”
With this information yet to be made official, it remains to be seen the direction that Kevin Feige and the Marvel franchise take in the lead-up to Phase 6.
As per current reports, Avengers: Secret Wars is due to be released in May 2027.
Source: Collider
