There have been plenty of rumors and fan rumblings over where the acquisition of Fox by Disney leaves the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the properties they’d potentially receive after the deal. While cramming the X-Men and Fantastic Four into any of the current slate of Marvel movies isn’t a reality, some out there still have hope that it could happen. The truth according to Kevin Feige is that any potential deals with the Fox merger won’t affect what is already scheduled from Marvel and the end of Phase 3.
Feige spoke with Vulture during a press junket for Black Panther on Tuesday, revealing that he only found out about the merger when it was reported in the press and most of the discussion seems to be “above my pay grade”:
“The truth of the matter as I understand it is the deal has to be figured out,” said Feige, who claimed that it’s too soon to expect any sort of integration into the current Marvel Studios lineup of films. “There’s been no communication. We’re not thinking about it. We’re focusing on everything we’ve already announced. If and when the deal actually happens, we’ll start to think more about it. Until then, we have a lot to do…
“It would be years away,” Feige cautioned. “We’ve announced everything through 2019, so none of those would be adjusted.”
As it stands, a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2019 and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020 are the only two Marvel films scheduled following the conclusion of the current arc with the fourth Avengers film. So any developments with the characters that will be added in the Fox merger would come at that point. Feige also addressed his own future with the company, with Vulture adding that speculation had the MCU head leaving with the conclusion of the current phase:
“I think about it through 2019, through the movies we’ve already shot or are about to start filming,” said Feige. “I’m hoping to deliver on everything we’ve promised thus far…
“For years, predating the history of Marvel Studios itself, people asked me about superhero fatigue and if it was a fad or a phase. I say, if they’re all different, if they’re all special, nobody will get tired of these things before we at Marvel Studios will, since we live and breathe these things 24 hours a day.
The early reactions for Black Panther seem to indicate that any current fatigue is light at best, particularly when the films are topics we haven’t seen before. The hope is that the future allows that to continue.