Marvel's Kevin Feige Talks MCU Slowdown: “It’s Okay to Let People Miss You”

For over a decade, Marvel Studios ruled the box office, setting the gold standard for superhero movies. The Marvel Cinematic Universe became the benchmark for success. But after the pandemic, the studio hit a rough patch. The culprit? A massive increase in content output driven by Disney’s push for more films and Disney+ series.

Now, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is setting the record straight about the MCU slowdown and why it’s exactly what fans need.

While promoting The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Feige reflected on the studio’s aggressive content strategy over the past few years, saying:

“I mentioned before about what we’ve all talked about, of the overexpansion, of being overly zealous to tell double the amount of hours of stories in the last five years that we did in the previous 12 years.

“And I do think a slowdown, which we’ve already started to do in TV, and now doing in movies — I love the idea that there’s Fantastic Four, there’s Spider-Man Brand New Day, there’s Avengers Doomsday, a year from now, and a year and a half from now.

“I think that’s okay. I think that’s okay to let people miss you in the theaters for a little while before coming back in a big way.”

That “big way” seems to already be in motion. After a string of mixed results on movies, Marvel is tightening its focus on quality over quantity. Thunderbolts* may not have shattered records, but its strong reception among fans and critics was a much-needed win. It also paved the way for director Jake Schreier to take on Marvel’s highly anticipated X-Men reboot.

Now, all eyes are on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which hits theaters this weekend. Early reactions suggest Marvel has finally cracked the code on a beloved property that Fox struggled to get right.

Industry projections have the film opening between $130–$140 million domestically, which is a strong sign that fans are ready to return to the MCU in theaters.

On the TV side, Marvel is dialing things back. Agatha All Along followed in the footsteps of WandaVision and Loki as a streaming success, but shows like Secret Invasion proved that more isn’t always better.

Feige’s is now looking to tell fewer stories, but make them count. Upcoming projects include the Vision series, a Punisher special, the long-wrapped Wonder Man, and Daredevil: Born Again, which just finished its second season. Beyond that, Marvel is staying quiet about what’s next for Disney+.

Looking ahead, the MCU still has plenty of heavy hitters on the calendar. Avengers: Doomsday lands on December 18, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027. For now, though, Feige seems confident that giving fans a little breathing room is the right call.