Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige defends the long wait after Avengers: Endgame for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The release of The Avengers in 2012 ushered in a new era for the superhero movie genre, marking the first major team-up movie of the MCU. The film was a huge hit with audiences and was followed by three additional Avengers movies, including Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and, finally, Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
With Marvel's SDCC panel, the curtain was finally pulled back on Feige's larger plans for the MCU for the next few years, and it was revealed that the fourth and fifth Avengers films would be released as part of Phase 6 in 2025. Very little is known about the two projects, but the films are said to be the conclusion to what has been dubbed "The Multiverse Saga" of phases 4, 5, and 6. Despite the hype among fans, however, many have questioned why the wait is so long between Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, citing that past MCU phases saw Avengers films released much closer together.
In a recent interview with MTV News following Marvel's SDCC panel, Feige defends the decision to release the fifth and sixth Avengers films so many years after Avengers: Endgame. Feige explains that, during the first 3 MCU phases, there were fewer projects spaced out over a longer period of time, and many of the films were smaller in scope and scale. It made more sense that, after every few years, they could do an Avengers film. Now, however, with so many new characters to introduce and so many more MCU movies and shows being released every year that are larger in scope, Avengers films are being treated more like "capper[s] to a saga." Check out Feige's full comment below:
“The truth is, when we were doing Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3, there were less projects over more years. They were smaller projects and individual character stories, and it felt appropriate at that point, that after every two or three years that it took for a phase, we would do an Avengers film. As [Phase] 4, 5 and 6 were coming together, there are more projects in less years – because of all the amazing stuff we’re now allowed to do on Disney+, and getting characters from Fox, Fantastic Four and Deadpool — that it felt like, certainly after Infinity War and Endgame, that we thought Avengers movies aren’t cappers. So many of our movies now — Multiverse of Madness and what you’re about to see in [Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania], all are big team-up films introducing big parts of the mythology… Avengers films really should be the capper to a saga.”
To Feige's point, many recent MCU movies, including Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness are tasked with introducing massive ideas and concepts that are crucial in the setup of Phases 5 and 6. The idea of the multiverse is clearly central to the overarching story being told in the next few phases and the rules of the world of the story need to be established before the new Avengers team comes together. Not only that, but recent MCU movies have also been more about team-ups than most of the films in earlier phases, meaning that they often feel like mini Avengers adventures anyway.
While many audiences may not be excited at the prospect of waiting nearly 6 years between Avengers films, it's clear that Feige and the rest of the team at Marvel do have big plans for the remainder of The Multiverse Saga. Overall, MCU Phase 4 has been a disappointment to some fans, but Feige's comments do affirm that all of the stories being told are leading toward two major Avengers event films. Despite Feige's assertions, however, it remains to be seen if Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars will be worth the long wait.
Source: MTV News
