Films Marvel Cinematic Universe

—kevin feige, president of production marvel studios, on constructing shared film universe.

by 2005, marvel entertainment began planning independently produce own films , distribute them through paramount pictures. previously, marvel had co-produced several superhero films columbia pictures, new line cinema , others, including seven-year development deal 20th century fox. marvel made relatively little profit licensing deals other studios , wanted more money out of films while maintaining artistic control of projects , distribution. avi arad, head of marvel s film division, pleased sam raimi s spider-man films @ sony, less pleased others. result, decided form marvel studios, hollywood s first major independent movie studio since dreamworks.

arad s second-in-command, kevin feige, realized unlike spider-man , x-men, film rights licensed sony , fox, respectively, marvel still owned rights core members of avengers. feige, self-professed fanboy , envisioned creating shared universe creators stan lee , jack kirby had done comic books in 1960s. raise capital, studio secured funding seven-year, $525 million revolving credit facility merrill lynch. marvel s plan release individual films main characters , merge them in crossover film. arad, doubted strategy yet insisted reputation helped secure initial financing, resigned following year.

kevin feige helped conceive of shared media universe of marvel properties.

in 2007, @ 33 years old, feige named studio chief. in order preserve artistic integrity, marvel studios formed six-person creative committee people familiar comic book lore included feige, marvel studios co-president louis d esposito, marvel comics president of publishing dan buckley, marvel s chief creative officer joe quesada, writer brian michael bendis, , marvel entertainment president alan fine, oversaw committee. feige referred shared narrative continuity of these films marvel cinema universe , later used term marvel cinematic universe . marvel has designated marvel cinematic universe earth-199999 within continuity of company s multiverse, collection of fictional alternate universes.

in november 2013, feige said in ideal world releases each year include 1 film based on existing character , 1 featuring new character, saying s nice rhythm in format. while not case, evident 2013 releases of iron man 3 , thor: dark world, said aim for. feige expanded on in july 2014, saying, don t know ll keep [that model] every year , re doing in 2014 , 2015, think fun continue sort of thing. in february 2014, feige stated marvel studios wants mimic rhythm comic books have developed, having characters appear in own films, , come together, big event or crossover series, avengers films acting big, giant linchpins. after reveal of multiple release dates films through 2019 in july 2014, feige stated, think if @ of dates ve announced, re going 3 in few of years. again, not because there s number cruncher telling go three, more 2 pictures year, because of reason laid out: managing [existing] franchises, film film, , when have team ready go, why tell them go away 4 years because don t have slot? d rather find way keep going. after titles revealed in october 2014, feige said, studio s firing on cylinders right ... made comfortable first time ... increase 3 films year [in 2017 , 2018] instead of two, without changing our methods.

on expanding characters in universe , letting individual films breathe , work on own, opposed having avenger team-ups outside of avengers films, feige stated, s teaching general movie-going audience notion of characters existing separately, coming specific events , going away , existing separately in own worlds again. comic readers have been doing decades , decades ... people sort of accepting there s time when should , there s time when re not. in april 2014, feige revealed edgar wright s pitch ant-man in 2006 helped shape films of marvel cinematic universe, saying, changed, frankly, of mcu accommodate version of ant-man. knowing wanted edgar , ant-man, going years , years back, helped dictate did roster avengers first time. bit of both in terms of idea ant-man story influencing birth of mcu in films leading avengers.

in october 2014, marvel held press event announce titles of phase 3 films. event, drew comparisons apple s worldwide developers conference, done because information ready. feige explained, wanted @ [san diego] comic-con year. things not set ... plan has been, since few weeks before comic-con when realized weren t going able wanted do, decide let s either haven t done in long time, or ve never done. singular event, announce have when s ready. thought might august, or mid-september, ended being [at end of october].

in september 2015, after marvel studios integrated walt disney studios feige reporting walt disney studios chairman alan horn instead of marvel entertainment ceo isaac perlmutter, reported studios creative committee have nominal input on films moving forward, though continue consult on marvel television productions, remained under perlmutter s control. key film decisions going forward made feige, d esposito , victoria alonso. @ end of month, on how story developed future films of universe, feige said there broad strokes though sometime super-specific things. part, in broad strokes broad enough , loose enough that, if through development of 4 of 5 movies before culmination ... still have room sway , move , go , surprise ourselves in places end up. movies, when re finished, feel re interconnected , meant , planned far ahead, can live , breathe enough individual movies satisfying each , of themselves. studio has various contingency plans direction of of films, in event unable secure actor reprise role, or re-acquire film rights character, such done in february 2015 spider-man.

in april 2016, on moving universe phase 4 , reflecting on first three, feige said, think there finality moments of phase three, new beginnings mark different, different, distinctively different chapter in someday complete first saga made of 3 phases. joe russo added, build things , people enjoy experiences ve built up. kind of reach apex or reach climax, moment go, structure going start repetitious if again, now? now, deconstruct it. re in deconstruction phase [captain america:] civil war , leading [avengers:] infinity war, culmination films. year later, feige felt after conclusion of phase three, marvel might abandon grouping films phases, saying, might new thing. feige mentioned untitled avengers film provide definitive end films , storylines preceding it, franchise having 2 distinct periods. before avengers 4 , after.

on potential superhero fatigue , feige stated, year [2016], ve got civil war , ve got doctor strange in november, 2 different movies. me, , of marvel studios, s keeps going. long re surprising people, long re not falling things becoming similar ... next year, [guardians of galaxy vol. 2], [spider-man: homecoming], thor: ragnarok. 3 totally different movies ... long shared thing come same source material , ve got our marvel logo in front of movies. other can distinct. other studios do, other properties, nothing can it.

distributors

over time, distribution rights marvel studios films changed hands on multiple occasions. in november 2006, universal pictures announced distribute incredible hulk, in arrangement separate marvel s 2005 deal paramount, distributing marvel s other films. in september 2008, after international success of iron man, paramount signed deal have worldwide distribution rights iron man 2, iron man 3, thor, captain america: first avenger, , marvel s avengers.

in late december 2009, walt disney company purchased marvel entertainment $4 billion. in october 2010, walt disney studios bought distribution rights avengers , iron man 3 paramount pictures, paramount s logo remaining on films, promotional material , merchandise, although walt disney studios motion pictures studio credited @ end of these films. disney has distributed subsequent marvel studios films. in july 2013, disney purchased distribution rights iron man, iron man 2, thor , captain america: first avenger paramount. incredible hulk not part of deal, due agreement between marvel , universal, marvel owns film rights , universal owns distribution rights, film right of first refusal distribute future hulk films. according hollywood reporter, potential reason why marvel has not bought film distribution rights hulk did paramount iron man, thor, , captain america films because universal holds theme park rights several marvel characters disney wants own theme parks.

in february 2015, sony pictures entertainment , marvel studios announced licensing deal allow spider-man appear in marvel cinematic universe, character first appearing in captain america: civil war. marvel studios explored opportunities integrate other characters of marvel cinematic universe future spider-man films financed, distributed, , controlled sony pictures, robert downey, jr. first confirmed reprise role tony stark / iron man in spider-man: homecoming. in june 2015, feige clarified initial sony deal not apply mcu television series, specific ... amount of , forth allowed. both studios have ability terminate agreement @ point, , no money exchanged deal. however, small adjustment made 2011 deal formed between 2 studios (where marvel gained full control of spider-man s merchandising rights, in exchange making one-time payment of $175 million sony , paying $35 million each future spider-man film, , forgoing receiving previous 5% of spider-man film s revenue), marvel getting reduce $35 million payment sony if spider-man: homecoming grossed more $750 million.