Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has addressed what many fans consider the MCU's critical issue of the past six years. Since Avengers: Endgame closed out the Infinity Saga in 2019, the MCU has faced mounting criticism over its output of films and Disney+ series, a dip in quality, and the fading sense of cohesion that once tied the franchise together.
With Avengers: Doomsday slated for release in December 2026, those concerns have only grown louder after the debut of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a middle-of-the-road hit for the studio.
Speaking with the press for the release of First Steps, Feige admitted to the MCU's biggest flaw, telling the outlet that Marvel Studios expanded "too much" while experimenting after Phase 3 ended:
"Unlike Endgame, which really was an ending, we'd go, 'Where do we go from here? What do we do with this level of success and this level of finality?'
Well, we used it to experiment. We used it to evolve and then we used it to expand – too much."
Although Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger have previously acknowledged that Marvel's output became too much, this marks the first time he has admitted that, from a storytelling perspective, the MCU grew too expansive in the years following Endgame.
Despite several post-credits scenes seemingly connecting to Doomsday, there's been a lot more disgruntled MCU fans who have fallen behind narratively than there ever was during the Infinity Saga.
Over the past four years, Marvel Studios has released 27 live-action projects. Over the first 11 years of the MCU, the studio released 23 films.
Moving forward, Feige has promised that Phase 6 will be more focused than Phases 4 or 5, with fewer projects and a clearer direction.
In fact, Feige was quick to mention to Games Radar how Avengers: Secret Wars will be just as much of a beginning as it will be the end of the Multiverse Saga. In fact, he confirmed that "the next saga" is already "well into development:"
"Secret Wars, as in the comics, is as much about bringing certain storylines to a close as it is about launching a new one, and that's what's very exciting. We're already well into development of the next saga."
Feige and Marvel Studios are clearly easing off the accelerator, deciding not to green-light every idea that comes across their desk. From now until December 2027, only three films are confirmed: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (distributed by Sony Pictures), Avengers: Doomsday, and Secret Wars.
That's not to say that rumored sequels like Doctor Strange 3 of Shang-Chi 2 couldn't release during that time, but if this was 2019, the promised schedule would been much more full.
The Multiverse Saga Story: Explained
Honestly, the Multiverse Saga has been overbloated. Kevin Feige is absolutely correct.
From a narrative thread perspective, Marvel Studios has simply created too much. The introduction of the Eternals, the events of Secret Invasion, and the evolution of Emilia Clarke's G'iah, to the Council of Kangs in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, could never be addressed again in the MCU.
Spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but the only time fans have seen Doctor Doom in the MCU before Doomsday is the most recent mid-credits scene that does the bare minimum to set up that character or Robert Downey Jr.'s return.
In many ways, the biggest question heading into Doomsday is "What's the threat?"
After the events of The Avengers, Tony Stark was haunted for years, impacting his decisions in Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War, before finally coming head-to-head with his greatest fear, Thanos, in Avengers: Infinity War.
Where the Infinity Saga had clear main characters, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Iron Man, the Multiverse Saga has been missing a similar focus on a few characters. During the entirety of the Multiverse Saga only one character, Spider-Man (Tom Holland), will be recieving two films.
This spread-out strategy has made the increase in MCU project output feel even more disconnected, with most heroes getting one movie before the events of Doomsday. It's safe to say the overarching plan for the next saga will look much different than the original playbook for Phases 4-6.
