Bob Iger became the CEO of Disney way back in 2005. Under his control, the already-massive company only got bigger, particularly in the world of Hollywood. We’re talking about how Disney purchased Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel Studios, for example. The merging with 20th Century Fox is also a massive deal. But would you believe the CEO brings up one lonely superhero film when he first thinks of his greatest achievements at Disney?
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In a new interview with Variety, a sort of farewell, exit interview sort of thing, Bob Iger goes over his history with Disney and where he thinks the industry is going in the future. Obviously, Iger handed over the reins to new CEO Bob Chapek right as the pandemic began, leading to the former CEO sticking around to make sure Disney didn’t falter during this trying time. But now, he’s leaving for real, and when Iger looks back at his accomplishments, he immediately puts one Marvel Studios film near the top of his list.
“I could cite a number of examples [of achievements], ‘Black Panther’ probably being near the top of the list,” said Iger.
While “Black Panther” isn’t the most profitable film in Marvel Studios’ decade-plus reign over the box office, the film is monumental for what it did with diversity in the genre. With a primarily Black cast, written and directed by a Black filmmaker, “Black Panther” was a monster box office hit, earning more than $1 billion worldwide and went on to be nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. Sure, it didn’t do $2+ billion like “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” but when you think of the accomplishments of Marvel Studios, it’s obvious why “Black Panther” is something Iger mentions right away.
He would go on to mention several more, including a new theme park and those aforementioned studio acquisitions.
“Cutting the ribbon and opening a theme park in Shanghai and delivering the quintessential Disney theme park experience to the most populous city and country in the world,” added the executive. “Signing a contract at this desk in this office with George Lucas to buy Lucasfilm. Standing at Pixar with Steve Jobs and being handed a Luxo Jr. lamp and saying to a thousand people at Pixar that I’m going to use this to illuminate the castle. An incredible moment buying Marvel, of course, is right up there, and gaining access to not only the treasure trove of great characters but so many incredibly talented people who knew so much about the Marvel brand and its storytelling potential.”
Is Disney going to thrive under Chapek after Iger officially departs at the end of the year? Obviously. Disney is an incredibly powerful corporation that owns a ton of insanely popular IP and has one of the biggest streaming platforms on the planet. No offense to Bob Chapek, but the company would have to do quite a bit of horrific stuff to tarnish that reputation in the eyes of its diehard fans.