After a difficult 2023 that saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels bomb at the box office and Secret Invasion earn the worst reviews that Marvel had ever seen, many were quick to pronounce the Marvel Cinematic Universe dead.
Just four short years earlier, Kevin Feige and his team were on top of the pop culture world, and Marvel was shrouded in an aura of invincibility. As critics and fans alike rushed to perform an autopsy on the studio, many were quick to name streaming as the cause of death.
Photo: Marvel
As it turns out, James Gunn agrees with them.
James Gunn Says Disney “Killed” Marvel
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the director of Guardians of the Galaxy discussed the problems facing the movie industry as a whole.
Photo: CNET.com
“I do believe that the reason why the movie industry is dying is not because of people not wanting to see movies,” Gunn said. “It’s not because of home screens getting so good. The number-one reason is because people are making movies without a finished screenplay.”
Reflecting on the differences between his time at Marvel and his new role as head of DC Studios, Gunn noted that DC does not have a corporate entity demanding more output.
Photo: Marvel
Looking back, Gunn believes that Disney’s demands for more content are what killed Marvel.
“That wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. And it killed them,” Gunn said.
“We don’t have the mandate [at DC] to have a certain amount of movies and TV shows every year. So we’re going to put out everything that we think is of the highest quality. We’re obviously going to do some good things and some not-so-good things, but hopefully on average everything will be as high-quality as possible. Nothing goes before there’s a screenplay that I personally am happy with.”
Bob Iger Agrees
While Gunn’s assertion that Disney “killed” Marvel may be a tad dramatic, his diagnosis of the MCU’s struggles seems correct.
His comments echo Bob Iger’s comments, who admitted that Disney stretched Marvel too thin.
With a renewed focus on quality over quantity, Marvel rebounded with last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
While Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* struggled this year, those projects were primarily created when Marvel was stretched thin.
Photo: Marvel
Beginning with Fantastic Four, the studio will look to turn the page.
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Rj Raven is a passionate anime lover and storyteller who shares deep insights and romantic tales through creative blogging.