Kevin Feige was so stretched at Marvel in the early 2020s that creatives got feedback too late to use

Marvel Studios has increased its film and Disney+ production after Avengers: Endgame (2019) to meet Disney's streaming goals. Marvel President Kevin Feige and his crew were overwhelmed by this expansion, which caused a drop in release quality and a delay of crucial creative input until it was too late to include. Staff members sometimes had to follow Feige along the corridors looking for solutions. Projects failing because of "Marvel fatigue" were urged to undergo a purposeful reset in 2024-25 to lower output and restore quality control.

Marvel creatives got feedback too late to use from Kevin Feige

Disney tasked Marvel with generating a consistent flow of related films and television series to boost Disney+ subscribers after Endgame's great success. Though well received, the studio's infrastructure, which had been fine-tuned for a couple of high-budget blockbusters yearly, struggled to manage the flood of Marvel's first Disney+ series, namely WandaVision and Loki, in 2021.

Feige, who had a track record of actively overseeing scripts, casting, editing, and reshoots, was unable to provide prompt comments given the rise in work. Employees at Marvel in the early 2020s said it was challenging to get enough time with Feige to listen to his ideas. As a result, teams would sometimes spend weeks on work he interfered with that became meaningless, therefore lacking time to include his changes before the due date.

Marvel executives, including Feige, acknowledged during a "parliament" retreat in Palm Springs in November 2024 that "quantity... diluted quality—and Marvel has suffered greatly from that," prompting a choice to cut TV production. Disney said in 2025 that Marvel will restrict the number of live-action streaming programs they air to one or two.

These shows will include independent narratives without requiring much understanding of the bigger MCU. Once a senior executive was hired to oversee television, Feige could spend more time on the film slate. Beginning with May 2025's Thunderbolts*, the "reset" returned to a more concentrated, character-driven approach and received much higher reviews.

The late 2020s rush of Marvel content, driven by Disney+ demands, revealed the drawbacks of having one individual supervise creative processes on a wide scale. Kevin Feige's hands-on style, which had hitherto proven beneficial to the MCU, became a burden as production ramped up.

The delayed feedback cycles not only hampered particular projects but also eroded public trust. Marvel's 2024-25 course correction acknowledges the reality that consistent quality calls for manageable scope, better pre-production preparation, and distributed creative leadership.

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Divya Burman is a journalist at Primetimer 

She has completed her graduation in English Literature, which fuelled her interest in writing. A curious learner, Divya isn't scared to move out of her comfort zone and reviews her work from a critical point of view.

Divya has multiple years of work experience, including at companies like TechWhoop and Vimana. She also worked as a programme facilitator at MyCaptain.

Divya is also fond of research and keeping herself up to date on the latest trends in the world of fashion. In her free time, she indulges in music and reading and loves to watch films.