There has never been a run of films like what Marvel Studios has done over the last decade with its Marvel Cinematic Universe. Comprised of 21 films (with #22 in just over a week), the studio has been able to tell one connected story over the course of numerous franchises and sequels. And it’s all coming to an end with “Avengers: Endgame.” Well, kind of. The studio will continue and the universe will expand, but it’s the end of Chapter 1, at least. And it’s all thanks to Kevin Feige, the president of the studio and mastermind behind the MCU.
And in a new interview with Variety, Feige discusses the future of the MCU, how TV plays a role, and how much of an “ending” the upcoming ‘Endgame’ actually is.
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As for the future, details are still kept under wraps, despite much of the news already leaking to the press. We know that ‘Endgame’ will usher in an ending to the current Infinity Saga, but also a new beginning for the MCU as it moves into its next iteration. But for as much as ‘Endgame’ is an end, that doesn’t mean the future is going to be without some familiar faces.
“Some of these films will feature characters that you already know,” said Feige. “Some supporting characters will assume leading roles, while some new characters will be introduced. The reward for all of these films working is that we get to try to do it again and do it differently and learn from our mistakes and try something we haven’t tried before.”
One of those ways that Marvel Studios is going to do things differently is in the TV realm. In the past, the MCU has shown up in TV series, produced by Marvel TV (different than Marvel Studios), like the Netflix ‘Defenders’ universe, ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD,” Hulu’s “Runaways,” and Freeform’s “Cloak & Dagger,” but those series had very opaque ties to the films, with most of the connections coming from mere mentions of characters. But with Disney+, Marvel Studios is taking control of the TV side of things with its slate of new streaming series.
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“These episodes will intersect with the movies in a very big way,” said the Marvel Studios boss. “It’s a totally new form of storytelling that we get to play with and explore.”
We already know that series featuring characters like Loki, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and Vision are on tap, with the A-list actors coming back to star. But again, that doesn’t mean that the new ‘Avengers’ film isn’t going to put an end to the first chapter of the MCU.
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“We always wanted there to be a definitive ending,” he said. “There’s an amazing line that [Robert Downey Jr.] says in the film: ‘Part of the journey is the end.’ That’s what ‘Endgame’ is.”
We’ll see what that “definitive” ending includes when “Avengers: Endgame” hits theaters on April 26.