It has been an interesting couple of years for the folks over at Marvel Studios. The undisputed champion of the all-time box office, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced some uncharacteristic low points in recent years that have resulted in fans questioning whether all good things - even uber-successful ones like the MCU - must come to an end.
It's a good question, but it likely doesn't carry much weight. Honestly, the MCU clearly still has a lot of appeal (look at recent billion-dollar box office hits like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool and Wolverine, or even Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which made over $950 million, and Disney Plus hits like Loki season 2 and Agatha All Along)., but some of its creative processes have resulted in a lack of interest for specific titles from general audiences. That's why projects like Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Eternals struggled at the box office.
There are highs and lows to everything. What's most impressive is that the MCU generally sidestepped lows for 15 years; it's okay to have a few now. The Multiverse Saga hasn't had the smoothest of runs, but as it gets back on track ahead of the grand finale combo of Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Avengers: Secret Wars, one creative mind thinks its time for Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to step aside.
Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld thinks it's time for Kevin Feige to leave the MCU behind
If you're asking Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld about Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige's time with the franchise, he thinks it is up. The comic book legend says that Feige is "spent" after running the most successful movie franchise of all time for almost two decades, taking to social media to claim that it's time he gets "off the mound".
This post came on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, off the back of the news that Captain America: Brave New World (which enjoyed a very successful opening weekend) saw an 82% drop in box office takings in its second week. He shared a post explaining the film's box office drop from Cosmic Marvel, adding "Get Feige off the mound. He's spent."
Although sharp drops are expected with the vast majority of movies - especially blockbusters that enjoy impressive opening weekends - Marvel has been experiencing sharper drops more frequently. This is largely what resulted in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - which enjoyed the best opening weekend of all Ant-Man movies - underperforming and becoming the least successful of the three Ant-Man movies.
Liefeld recently parted ways with Marvel, revealing on his podcast that his decision comes after he was ignored by Feige on the red carpet during the Deadpool and Wolverine premiere last year, and that all photos taken of him on the night were deleted. He also revealed that he wasn't invited to the movie's afterparty, adding that it was "meant to embarrass, diminish, defeat me", which ultimately resulted in him leaving.
Back to the MCU's box office takings, Captain America: Brave New World has earned $400 million at the worldwide box office since its February release, making it one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. There is some debate abut whether it has or will break even in its theatrical run, but its significantly lower budget of $185 million means that is a possibility.
The studio is also still enjoying box office success, with last year's Deadpool and Wolverine bringing in $1.3 billion from its theatrical run. Its next releases, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, promise strong box office performances, while next year's releases (Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day) are expected to take the MCU back into the billion-dollar territory.