Has the MCU’s Bubble Burst? Kevin Feige’s Plan to Fix Marvel’s Struggles
Published On: July 23rd, 2025
For over a decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was the gold standard of blockbuster filmmaking, a meticulously crafted, interconnected saga that dominated pop culture. But in recent years, the franchise has faced mounting criticism: declining box office returns, mixed audience reactions, and accusations of creative stagnation. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps poised to debut this weekend, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has laid out a roadmap for the future. But can it reverse the MCU’s downward trend?
The problem: Quantity over quality
Since Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel has expanded aggressively, flooding Disney+ with TV shows while maintaining a relentless theatrical release schedule. The result? Audience fatigue. Projects like The Marvels ($206M worldwide) and the well-reviewed Thunderbolts ($380M) underperformed, while even highly anticipated projects like Captain America: Brave New World struggled to resonate. Feige himself admits the studio "spread too thin", producing 127 hours of content in six years—more than double the output of the entire Infinity Saga.
The issue isn’t just volume, it’s connectivity. Viewers felt burdened by homework, needing to watch multiple Disney+ shows to follow films like The Marvels, which tied into both Ms. Marvel and WandaVision. Feige acknowledges this misstep, vowing to reduce TV crossovers and make future films more standalone.
Feige’s fix: Less content, more focus
Marvel’s new strategy hinges on three key adjustments:
- Fewer releases: The MCU will scale back to 1-3 films per year and perhaps just one live-action Disney+ series annually, a stark contrast to the 2021-2024 glut
- Lower budgets: Post-pandemic budgets ballooned, but recent films (Deadpool & Wolverine, Fantastic Four) are reportedly a third cheaper than their predecessors
- A soft reset after Secret Wars: The 2027 finale will streamline the timeline, recast key roles (like the X-Men), and allow fresh starts. That said, Feige insists it’s not a full reboot
The X-Men vs. the Avengers: A recasting dilemma
One of Feige’s most controversial reveals is that Marvel plans to recast not just the X-Men but also legacy Avengers like Iron Man and Captain America. While recasting mutants makes sense because they’ve never been properly integrated into the MCU, bringing back Tony Stark and Steve Rogers so soon after their emotional send-offs feels regressive.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man had a perfect arc, culminating in Endgame’s sacrificial ending. Chris Evans’ Captain America passed the shield to Sam Wilson. Why undo that? Feige compares it to James Bond recasting, but Marvel’s strength was always moving forward, not clinging to past icons. Instead of revisiting these characters, the studio could focus on the newly reintroduced and popular Daredevil, or new heroes like Ironheart (Dominique Thorne)—although that character faced racist review-bombing before its Disney+ debut.
2025’s mixed bag: Thunderbolts, Cap 4, and Ironheart
This year’s MCU offerings highlight the franchise’s uneven state:
- Thunderbolts: Praised by critics but a relative box office dud. Feige blames audience confusion over its TV-tied characters, including Yelena Belova and John Walker
- Captain America: Brave New World: A critical misfire, perhaps further hurt by the absence of Chris Evans
- Ironheart: A solid series with 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, but marred by pre-release backlash, underscoring the MCU’s struggle with diversity-driven toxicity
Fantastic Four: Marvel’s best hope?
All eyes are now on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which early tracking suggests could open to $100M-$110M domestically, which would make it Marvel’s best 2025 debut yet. Directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision), the film is a clean slate, set in its own universe with no MCU baggage. Feige calls it "no homework required", a return to the self-contained storytelling that made Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy work.
But will it be enough? The Fantastic Four have a cursed cinematic history, with Fox’s 2015 reboot grossing just $167M worldwide. Marvel’s take, led by Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, must prove these characters deserve to be A-listers, just as Feige insists.
A franchise at a crossroads
The MCU isn’t dead, and Deadpool & Wolverine’s $1.33B haul proves that, but it’s no longer invincible. Feige’s plan to reduce output, lower budgets, and reset post-Secret Wars is a step in the right direction. Yet, the insistence on recasting Iron Man and Captain America suggests Marvel is still looking backward, not forward.
The real test? Whether Fantastic Four can reignite audience passion, and whether Feige’s "less is more" approach can restore the MCU’s former glory. If not, even Doctor Doom (played by returning star Robert Downey Jr.) might not be enough to save it.