Integrating the world’s most famous X-Men characters (see: Wolverine, Fantastic Four) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a huge and potentially groundbreaking conundrum, but in the eyes of Ryan Coogler, there is only one man for the job: Kevin Feige.
The Black Panther director spoke to ComicBook.com in anticipation of his MCU effort clawing its ways into theaters, and when Coogler was pressed about the possibility of Storm (AKA Ororo Munroe) manifesting in a Black Panther sequel, the filmmaker pointed CB in the direction of Kevin Feige, as he’s the one holding all the cards.
To be honest with you, I don’t know enough about that acquisition to even talk about it, man. I’m like caught up there while we were trying to finish the movie. So, I think, look — if it’s something that goes through, I can’t think of better hands for those characters to be in than Kevin [Feige]’s. I’ll say that.
It’s been that way for years, too, and even after 10 years of Marvel movies, Kevin Feige has no intention of vacating his post as the studio’s president. Besides, the über-producer has already mapped out the MCU to 2019 – no thanks to Captain Marvel, Avengers 4, and Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 – so it’s no wonder he’s cooled talk of a potential X-Men crossover occurring anytime soon.
Why, you ask? Because it’ll likely take another two-to-three years before the Disney-Fox merger falls into place, by which point Marvel’s leading creators will gain access to a rich vault of costumed crusaders. It’s an acquisition that has arguably overshadowed the likes of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, but after a full decade of superpowered action and overly satisfying character development spread out across multiple movies, we’re confident in Kevin Feige’s ability to deliver.
Next up for the MCU is the release of Black Panther on February 16th, which is now said to be targeting a four-day opening weekend in the ballpark of $150 million.
