Marvel Directors Don't Really Direct The Movies? Bold Claim Comes To Light

Marvel Cinematic Universe directors don't really direct their movies, Marvel Studios does, according to a bold claim that has come to light. For quite some time, the MCU has had to deal with a part of the audience, as well as some critics, claiming Marvel Studios has too much control over its movie output, limiting what directors can do, and generating similar products across the board. While a few directors, such as James Gunn, Taika Waititi, and Chloé Zhao have clearly infused their style in their MCU movies, a new report claims some films can be attributed to Marvel Studios, rather than the director.

According to Hollywood reporter Chris Lee on the podcast The Town with Matthew Belloni, the longtime Marvel executive Victoria Alonso, who was recently fired by the studio, once told a Marvel filmmaker that another director who had helmed one of "the biggest movies Marvel’s ever put out" did not really deserve credit for the movie. According to Lee, Alonso said about that director: "They don’t direct the movies. We direct the movies." The bold claim, if real, speaks to a longtime Marvel Studios problem, and adds another mark to the MCU's current behind-the-scenes issues. Check out the full quote below:

Around the time of Victoria Alonso’s dismissal, I was DM’ing with an extremely well-known director who had worked on a Marvel film, and she was relating some remarks that Victoria had said to her about another filmmaker, who directed, let’s just say, it was one of the biggest movies Marvel’s ever put out. And (Alonso) was talking about this guy and (Alonso) said, ‘They don’t direct the movies. We direct the movies.’ Meaning that the filmmakers don’t have creative control over the look of the films that Marvel does.

Marvel’s Current Behind-The-Scenes Issues Explained

Marvel is currently undergoing a difficult streak with the MCU. Following the critically acclaimed Infinity Saga, the MCU left Thanos behind to focus on the next big event. Enter the Multiverse Saga and Marvel's venture into Disney+, with series, specials, and shorts. The Infinity Saga never quite got to the expansion that the MCU is seeing today with the new formats that streaming allows, and as such, Phases 1-3 of the MCU consisted of 23 movies. In comparison, the MCU's Phase 4 alone accounted for 17 projects, among movies and Disney+ offerings, over a two-year time span.

MCU Phase 4 saw a quality dip, both in writing and special effects, that led to it becoming the most panned phase in the MCU. Both critics and fans alike have voiced their concerns over the direction Marvel is currently headed in, with only a few projects, like the generational event that was Spider-Man: No Way Home, managing to shine through. Marvel has listened to the criticism and is now actively working to course-correct. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has revealed the studio will slow down its Disney+ output, allowing shows more time to breathe and get both the story, and the much-needed VFX, right.

A change is crucial to the MCU's future, as the first movie in Phase 5, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, disappointed in the box office and left a sour taste connected to the debut of the MCU's new main villain, Kang the Conqueror. Behind the scenes, Marvel appears to be taking a stance to correct what it can, with the firing of Alonso, who was said to be the source of many VFX issues on MCU movies. However, it's unclear if Alonso was accurate in her assessment of how much control Marvel Studios has over its directors and whether that contributed to any additional behind-the-scenes issues. More about the MCU's directors may come to light in time.

Source: Chris Lee on The Town with Matthew Belloni