Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is accomplishing something that no other producer in the history of cinema has done. With the release of the upcoming “Avengers: Infinity War,” Feige will have released 19 films as part of his massive Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, which is about to surpass $15 billion in worldwide grosses. There is no other producer in the world that can claim a run of hit films like Feige. And by all accounts, the biggest hits are yet to come.
While other studios have tried, and failed spectacularly, to emulate the “shared universe” aspect of the franchise, Feige has been cruising along, releasing hit after massive hit. The most recent offering, ‘Infinity War’ is the beginning of Feige’s victory lap. What would have been thought impossible a decade ago is about to come to fruition before our eyes. With a cast that is full of A-list talent and a story that is 10 years in the making, ‘Infinity War’ is a spectacle that no other studio would possibly replicate. And at the center of it all is the mastermind, Feige.
And in our exclusive interview with the Marvel Studios boss, we cover ‘Infinity War,’ diversity in films, the Disney/Fox merger, and what lies ahead for the future of the MCU.
We all know that a weak villain is a problem in a lot of superhero films. You guys just came off the heels of a great one with Killmonger in “Black Panther.” What makes a good villain and what makes a good villain as it relates to Thanos?
Kevin Feige: Well, providing a necessary threat to your heroes is one step. Also, having—and this certainly applies to Killmonger who you just mentioned—having unexpected empathy for the villain despite their actions. I think that’s something that’s required, frankly and having somebody you’re entertained by despite the horrific things they’re doing.
So we’ll want to sympathize with Thanos?
Yes, as we made the film we were shocked that we had empathy for this guy. A very select group people that we have screened it for have told us the same thing and I think if that’s the case it’s entirely due to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s script and Josh Brolin’s astounding performance as the Mad Titan.
I love the politics of the Marvel movies, I think that’s what makes them stand out—the ideas of governmental oversight, the accountability, vigilantism, American interventionism, etc.—are we going to see the ramifications of ‘Civil War’ in this movie?
Oh, yes, certainly, not only through this film but through [‘Avengers 4’] and that’s one of the reasons we wanted to do ‘Civil War’ when we did, was to shatter then and tear them apart at the worst time possible.
The marketing still shows two teams lead by those divided heroes, Captain America, or Nomad now and Iron Man, presumably those wounds haven’t healed yet.
Yes, 100%.
You’re savvy about superhero movies, obviously. We’ve seen a lot of movies where, you know, the big baddie coming to destroy the world and it’s a pretty tired trope. What do you guys do make it feel fresh or new?
It’s all in the execution, I think. It’s all how it’s done and there was no way to avoid it on this film because Thanos, in the “Infinity Gauntlet” comic storyline, which is the inspiration for this movie, has a very distinct goal. He has no malice in his belief on how to do it, but he thinks life in the universe is running unchecked and himself from his own experiences, that life unchecked can lead to total annihilation. As far as Thanos is concerned wiping out half of all life planet to planet and if he gets all six Infinity Stones, and he can wield them in his gauntlet, he will wipe out half the life in the universe. He thinks he’s doing the right thing to save the life of the universe. Our heroes think that sounds like a nightmare, the very worst thing that could possibly happen. And that is the story that we’re telling, but how he does that, what he does to our heroes, his attempt to do that, how the heroes respond, what they do to prevent that is what the movie is about and what scene to scene has to deliver.