The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have been a phenomenal success - but it's had a lot of problems with directors over the years. A quick look at the box office will indicate the sheer scale of Marvel's success; the MCU has grossed over $22 billion in the global box office. Incredibly, Marvel added over $5 billion to that cumulative total just in 2019.
Behind the scenes, though, Marvel has had more than its fair share of problems. Initial problems came from Marvel's reclusive CEO Ike Perlmutter, and the Marvel Creative Committee he established to guide the early MCU. Perlmutter looked at the glitz and glamour of Hollywood with disdain, and according to Disney CEO Bob Iger much of Perlmutter's interference in the MCU came from his personal animosity towards Kevin Feige. In 2015, Disney forced a corporate restructure, with Marvel Studios pulled out of Marvel Entertainment and established as a separate subsidiary. Kevin Feige, who had previously sat under Ike Perlmutter, now reported directly to Disney's Alan Horn. The Marvel Creative Committee was disbanded.
But that doesn't mean the problems have come to an end. In fact, right now Marvel's Phase 4 plans are looking like something of a mess. Let's explore all the directorial problems that have taken place in the MCU so far - from Patty Jenkins' experience at Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Patty Jenkins Hit Problems With Thor: The Dark World
Patty Jenkins was announced as director of Thor: The Dark World in October 2011, but left just three months later due to "creative differences." Jenkins' idea for the Thor sequel was based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, with Thor and Jane Foster forced to live on separate Realms because, in Odin's view, "Earth doesn't matter." Thor and Jane would ultimately discover that Malekith was hiding dark energy inside the Earth because “he knows that Odin doesn’t care about Earth, and so he’s using Odin’s disinterest in Earth to trick him.” Jenkins “wanted it to be a grand [movie]” based on the literary classic, with a “war between the gods and the earthlings” and Thor saving the day and Earth as well.
Marvel had other ideas, however, and in the end Patty Jenkins decided she wasn't the right fit for the job. In Jenkins' view, she couldn't make a movie she didn't believe in, and she feared a failed movie would reflect badly on female directors everywhere. Jenkins has remained diplomatic over the years, avoiding alluding to any of the creative conflict, but there must have been substantial animosity there. Her friend Natalie Portman, who played Jane Foster, actually left Marvel after Thor: The Dark World. The relationship between Portman and Marvel has only recently been repaired - notably after the Marvel Creative Committee was disbanded.
Edgar Wright Quit Ant-Man
In 2014, Edgar Wright's high-profile departure from Ant-Man.
Joss Whedon Clash With Marvel On Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Matters got worse in 2015, when Joss Whedon ended his relationship with Marvel after the theatrical release of plate shots of Captain Marvel, which have finally been unveiled to the public in the Infinity Saga box set. This time round, it looks to have been Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige who resisted the idea.
According to Whedon, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode "Once More With Feeling" in 2001. Marvel had planned for Whedon to remain in charge of the Avengers franchise, and were forced to conduct a radical course-correction. The world began to take note of the problems at Marvel, and it's likely no coincidence Disney forced a corporate restructure shortly after.
James Gunn Was Fired And Rehired On Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
The corporate restructure seemed to work, with Kevin Feige giving directors a lot more creative freedom. And then, in 2018, Marvel encountered one of their worst problems to date when director James Gunn found himself at the center of a storm of controversy. Gunn was personally responsible for the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and he'd been expected to help Marvel chart a cosmic path in Phase 4. But he was also politically outspoken on social media, and as a result right-wing figures began to trawl through his history in order to find material to undermine him. They hit gold, discovering a range of tasteless jokes that dated back to Gunn's time with Troma Pictures. Disney reacted quickly, firing Gunn at speed; they couldn't afford their name to be linked to bad-taste humor on subjects ranging from rape to pedophilia, especially not at when they were attempting to expand by purchasing the bulk of Fox's film and TV empire.
Gunn moved on, and even signed up with rival studio Warner Bros. for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn's other commitments mean the movie has been pushed back; it was supposed to kick off Phase 4 by coming out this year, but instead has yet to be given a release date at all.
Scott Derrickson Is No Longer Directing Doctor Strange 2
The latest news is that Scott Derrickson has stepped down as director of Kevin Feige 'clarifying' the issue. "I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a horror film," he observed, "but … it’ll be a big MCU film with scary sequences in it." The director and the studio clearly seem to have disagreed over the extent to which Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness should be influenced by the horror genre. Those differences became irreconcilable, and they parted ways. This time round it seems to have been an amicable split, because Derrickson is remaining attached to Doctor Strange 2 as an executive producer.
This particular creative conflict shines a fascinating light upon the current state of Marvel Studios. Kevin Feige is essentially transforming Marvel into a sort of production line of superhero blockbusters, and he's established something of a "house style" that he doesn't want to deviate from. In functional , this establishes new limits to the creative freedoms directors will enjoy when they're making a Marvel movie. It will be fascinating to see whether or not there are more problems going forward.
