Kevin Feige can finally vindicate all his worries from a decade ago, but his decision comes at a great cost to his own reputation.

In 2007, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was conceived in the darkest recesses of Kevin Feige’s imagination. After working tirelessly to bring every X-Men, Hulk, and Fantastic Four adaptation onto the big screen, the producer quickly learned the importance and the benefit of an interconnected universe centered around one unilaterally moving timeline. And the rest was history.

The Avengers in Age of Ultron [Credit: Marvel Studios]

The birth of the MCU with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man was a resounding success story that is still being told around campfires, in masterclasses, and as bedtime stories even 16 years and 34 films later. However, like all legendary Marvel heroes, to reach the peak, Feige had to bear a few of life’s tragedies and harbor some deep dark regrets first.

Kevin Feige’s Dire Move to Save the Marvel Universe

For the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it doesn’t get any better than this… or worse, depending on who you’re asking. Kevin Feige has shamelessly pulled out all the stops, called in all the favors, and cashed in all his chips to get Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers back into bed with Marvel… again.

Iron Man’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame [Credit: Marvel Studios]

For the dying universe, that combination works out like one last dose of adrenaline mixed with a shot of ecstasy — ensuring MCU’s survival long enough to push through to the finish line with Avengers: Secret Wars. However, it is the prequel, Avengers: Doomsday, that has been making the fans all jittery since the fateful announcement at SDCC 2024.

The return of Marvel’s gone-but-never-forgotten Godfather, Robert Downey Jr. has awakened something cold and vicious in the fandom’s heart. The initial shock morphed into excitement for some and disgust for others. Kevin Feige’s do-or-die move has turned Marvel fans against Marvel fans as the franchise comes together, perhaps for the first time since Avengers: Endgame, to collectively scream, cry, and tear their hair out at something.

Kevin Feige Trades 1 Regret for Another in the MCU

In his early days as a youngling at Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige worked as a producer while also collaborating with Universal and 20th Century Fox for their X-Men, Hulk, and F4 properties. During this time, he quickly learned about the binding laws and legalities of copyright issues and IP infringement.

Captain America: Civil War [Credit: Marvel Studios]

So, when Feige was promoted to the president of the production at Marvel Studios in 2007, and then President and CCO in 2010, the lack of ownership over ALL of Marvel’s IPs became one of his life’s great regrets. On one hand, he was the most powerful overseer of the biggest Hollywood franchise in existence, but on the other, Feige realized that despite having some of his favorite superheroes within his fingers’ reach, he still couldn’t will them into existing within the MCU.

With Disney’s 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox, that problem was solved in one fell swoop. In an interview with ComicBook’s Brandon Davis on July 28th, 2024, Kevin Feige heaved an audible sigh of relief before saying:

Well, what’s fun is it’s all possible now. I learned [about film rights and IP laws] when I started at Marvel a long time ago and the frustration when you don’t have access to all of your characters. So when we were doing Civil War, for instance, or even Infinity War, there were just dozens of characters that we had to take out of those comic stories because we didn’t have access to them. Now, as we choose upcoming storylines, we don’t have to do that. And we have access to all of them.

But as Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and Kevin Feige missed the memo on that big time when he willed the wrong guy into existence using his newfound god-level powers under Disney. Robert Downey Jr.’s return as Victor von Doom in Marvel’s Phase Six saga has sent shivers down the whole planet, questioning whether the shock value of the casting was really worth the price of RDJ’s legacy.

In the end, Kevin Feige managed to solve his one big regret only to replace it with another grave dilemma, all while fans clash against fans under the shadow of an already decaying universe.

Avengers: Doomsday is slated for release on May 1, 2026, with Secret Wars following on May 7, 2027. Both will be directed by returning director duo, Russo Brothers.