There are countless factors and thousands of people who helped make the MCU what it is today, but none is more influential than Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. The Hollywood icon has produced every theatrical and Disney+ installment in the franchise, having served as the connective tissue throughout the process.
One cannot underestimate the breadth of Feige’s role as he oversees every new project, both in the immediate and distant future, helping to shape the direction of the MCU as a whole. This all adds up to the production of an upcoming Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm, but details on that remain sketchy.
Feige is considered by many to be the face of the MCU, with many still looking forward to those rare moments when the cap-wearing executive steps before a convention audience to reveal future plans and surprises in epic fashion. But how is he behind the scenes? Wonders‘ Nia DaCosta had some thoughts.
Marvels director reveals her reaction to Kevin Feige
During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wonders Director Nia DaCosta and several of the stars of the MCU sequel have shared their initial reactions to meeting the infamous Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
DaCosta noted how surprised she was to find out that “Kevin Feige is a good person” and also shared that several of his MCU friends told him before signing Wonders that he “really loves his job:”
“I’ve been a huge Marvel fan for a really long time, I loved the movies, so I always knew I wanted to be part of the universe. Well, you know what surprised me, that is that Kevin Feige is a good person. Because you still think he rules over this whole empire, he has to be, like, you know. Literally all my friends are in the Marvel universe, I was like, ‘say I just say he’s a bad person, I won’t take the movie,’ and they were like, ‘no, he’s pretty awesome actually, he really loves his job,’ and I was like, ‘shit’ “.
The director then gestured to Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani to ask if she was also surprised by Feige’s personality. The MCU newcomer noted how she was feeling “came too strong” with Feige after giving him a “five-page letter” when she was chosen for her superhero role:
“Yeah, I thought I was too strong, I did it defiantly, gave him a five-page letter.”
The rest of the cast hilariously agreed that Vellani was strong, but Monica Rambeau’s actress Teyonah Parris called him out “attractive.” This led to a discussion of Vellani’s early interactions with Feige in which he took the time to answer many of her questions, as well as a story about meeting Samuel L. Jackson on set:
Larson: “It’s a lot when you say to yourself, ‘Nice to meet you, here’s a 54-page letter.’
Vellani: “Still, he handled the situation very well and he called me the next day on Zoom and answered the first 40 questions out of about 72, or something like that. So the fact that he took the time to do it, and every time we “I would speak after that, he would respond a few more times. I think we’ve gone through the list now.”
DaCosta: “When [Samuel L. Jackson] was on set, we had some free time, and she opened her notebook and said, “I have some questions for you. “”
Kevin Feige: one of the greatest
Kevin Feige has long been synonymous with the MCU, as his unique blend of leadership, creativity, and showmanship has made him the real face of the franchise. So it’s heartwarming to discuss the fact that even behind the scenes, Feige is just as beloved by MCU creatives as he is by fans.
The president of Marvel Studios has played a pivotal role in transforming the franchise into what it is today when it comes to securing talent, making creative decisions and charting a course for the future . Clearly, Feige has a great passion for what he does and this is clearly reflected in his long Zoom chat with Iman Vellani.
Because Feige plays such an important creative role in every Marvel Studios project, the ability of directors, actors, and writers to work with him is integral. So it’s no surprise that Nia DaCosta was eager to clarify what to expect with Feige before signing on to direct. Wonders.
It’s intriguing to hear about the extent of the conversation Feige had with Vellani to answer her questions when she was first cast in the MCU. With the producer juggling dozens of projects, one would imagine such a task would be delegated elsewhere, but his close involvement demonstrates great passion.
Wonders in theaters July 28, 2023.
