Recently, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige's spoke about Phase 3 of Marvel Studios' Cinematic Universe to Entertainment Weekly. So let's take a few minutes to try and analyze some of the things Feige said about Act III of the MCU.
On Hulk: “What we’re excited about exploring and expanding is Mark [Ruffalo] — and Banner’s not in Planet Hulk at all.” Possible Meaning: Feige and company want to explore Bruce Banner just as much, if not more, than the Hulk. And by sending the Hulk to another planet, like in the Planet Hulk comic book story arc, you are not able to focus on Banner at all since that story is very Hulk-centered and focused. So no more Planet Hulk rumors please.
On Doctor Strange:“I would love Strange to be a part of that only because he’s a great character. He’s a great standalone character. He’s got a great origin story, for the most part. And that world of pure magic, we haven’t done yet. There’s a whole supernatural/magic alternate dimension going on in the Marvel comics that we haven’t ever touched on. So I think that’s exciting.” Possible Meaning:
Doctor Strange will be announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July. I'd bet money on it if I was a gambling man.
On another Iron Man movie: “I believe there will be a fourth Iron Man film and a fifth and a sixth and a 10th and a 20th. I see no reason why Tony Stark can’t be as evergreen as James Bond. Or Batman for that matter. Or Spider-Man. I think Iron Man is a character just like that.” Possible Meaning: Robert Downey Jr.'s days as Tony Stark and Iron Man are numbered. Tough pill to swallow but it's sounding more and more like Downey's next two appearances will be in
The Avengers 2 and
The Avengers 3 but then a new actor will take over after Phase 3 ends.
On characters who have come back home from other studios: “So Punisher, Ghost Rider,…Blade, all those characters are back. They all have potential, but I think we need to find the right time.” Possible Meaning: Marvel is obviously happy these characters are back but Disney may be holding them back because Disney frowns upon darker, R-rated movies like these and prefers to max out its films with a PG-13 rating.
On the Inhumans: “Inhumans is cool, they’re really great characters [said while reportedly becoming more animated].” “The most powerful guy is the king who doesn’t say a word and if he does — lookout. That’s awesome. And the notion of the Terrigen Mists, this notion that you go through and don’t know what you’re going to be on the other side, is incredibly compelling dramatically. In other words, all the craziness that comes with Inhumans, we’ve done in the other movies already. But this would have some of the social drama that we haven’t really done yet. [Fox’s] X-Men, obviously, has been touching on that stuff for a while.” Possible Meaning: Feige really, really wants to get an Inhumans movie into further development and it could be slated for a Phase 3 movie or even just as a standalone movie in the MCU but outside of the phases of films. Just a hunch on this but eventually we will see Marvel Studios releasing non-Phase movies in the near future and the Inhumans could be that first one.
On The Runaways: “It’s a matter of where it fits. The way the business is working now, you either have really inexpensive, sort of surprise movies that can come out and be hits, but don’t cost much. Or you have the big giant summer blockbusters that really swing for the fences. Right now, we’re just swinging for the fences every time. Runaways sort of falls in between those, in a way. We just haven’t found where or how to do it… right now.” Possible Meaning: The Runaways could be destined to be a television series when/if
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. becomes a hit.
On Marvel Zombies: ”I know… Zombies is such a funny thing because its such a cool comic and it’s such a cool idea, but the bigger profile becomes what starts to happen [with fans]. Are you going to draw figures in chalk with your 3-year-old with Hulk eating someone? Or Captain America with his brains coming out of the top of his head? Probably not.” Possible Meaning: Not a chance.
How about your thoughts on some of these comments? Agree? Disagree? Do you have a different theory? Please share (like I have to say this) in the comments below.
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