For a studio that specializes in spandex and big-name blockbusters, Marvel knows a thing or two about crafting superhero movies that are at once deeply compelling and inherently palatable.
It’s part of the reason why Kevin Feige and Co. have been able to transform the likes of Black Widow, Doctor Strange, and the soon-to-be-released Black Panther into household names. Prior to the formation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these are characters that were largely limited to the comic book industry and animation; now, they’re plastered over everything from billboards to lunchboxes, and so long as the MCU continues to fire on all cylinders, Black Widow and the gang will remain ingrained in popular culture for years to come.
But that’s just it. With Marvel Studios now pumping out two or three big-budget superhero movies each and every year, there is genuine concern that the company will unknowingly bring about the onset of cinematic fatigue – both in terms of MCU superheroes and the franchise they inhabit.
That’s an issue Kevin Feige tackled during a recent interview with Vulture – the same interview in which he addressed the Disney-Fox merger and, more importantly, when we’ll see the X-Men journey over and share the screen with the Avengers.
When it comes to the potential onset of superhero fatigue, though, Feige is quietly confident in the MCU’s ability to side-step any pitfalls.
For years, predating the history of Marvel Studios itself, people asked me about superhero fatigue and if it was a fad or a phase. I say, if they’re all different, if they’re all special, nobody will get tired of these things before we at Marvel Studios will, since we live and breathe these things 24 hours a day. You make films like Thor: Ragnarok, like Homecoming, like Guardians of the Galaxy, certainly like Panther, and the upcoming Infinity War to keep it interesting and change it up. And we will continue to do that.
Variety is the spice of life, after all, and with Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp and the all-consuming Avengers: Infinity War all set to release in the coming months, Marvel’s 2018 slate is nothing if not diverse. Long may that continue.
