Marvel has had a regular stream of original shows for Disney+. But after the mixed success of these shows, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige had announced it is cutting down the number in the future.
It is no secret that the original programming based on Marvel Comics properties have been key contributors to the subscriber numbers on Disney+. But while shows such as Loki, WandaVision, What If...?, and Moon Knight have received generally favorable feedback, the rest have had middling to negative responses. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, in particular, has been polarizing among the fandom with the lowest audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios president and chief creative officer Kevin Feige addressed multiple questions regarding the past and future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The big boss at @MarvelStudios sits down for an exclusive deep dive with EW, teasing multiverses, mutants, and more! https://t.co/2GIl8c7WtW
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) February 14, 2023
One of the major questions asked was regarding the number of Marvel TV shows that came out on Disney+ and what the key takeaways were. Feige answered:
I hope we learn something on every project. I was very pleased with everything that we did… The fun thing about streaming is they are there forever, and people can keep re-exploring them…
Feige then mentions an SNL sketch poking fun at the number of Marvel shows released. The Marvel boss acknowledged there is some truth behind the humor and what the studio will be doing to address this in the foreseeable future:
I do think one of the powerful aspects of being at Marvel Studios is having these films and shows hit the zeitgeist. It is harder to hit the zeitgeist when there's so much product out there — and so much "content," as they say, which is a word that I hate. But we want Marvel Studios and the MCU projects to really stand out and stand above. So, people will see that as we get further into Phase 5 and 6. The pace at which we're putting out the Disney+ shows will change so they can each get a chance to shine.
When asked whether this means spacing the release of shows or simply putting out fewer shows every year, Feige simply said "Both, I think". To clarify further, Feige later added:
We want to do shows that can only be shows. I want to continue to make them even more episodic, which may seem counterintuitive. But I do think there is something fun about leaning back and watching an episode that can be relatively self-contained.
This confirmation from Kevin Feige of a cut down to the number of Disney+ Marvel shows coincides with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s directive to be "better at curating" their franchise content.
On that note, a recent update from The Hollywood Reporter states an insider source has claimed only Loki Season 2 and Secret Invasion are "the only sure bets" for 2023. This implies that other Marvel Studios shows previously targeting a 2023 release such as Echo, Ironheart, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos will likely have their schedules modified to 2024 or later.
How will these changes affect the big screen releases of Marvel’s Phase 5 and Phase 6? Will this reduction of Marvel shows on Disney Plus also have an impact to the releases of climactic Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2026)?
In the meantime, the next chapter of the MCU’s Phase 5 is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania releases in theaters tomorrow February 17, 2023.
