Disney investor Nelson Peltz calls into question Kevin Feige’s recent record when it comes to Marvel’s box office failures, reigniting an old rivalry.

Nelson Peltz, an investor interested in winning some board seats at Disney, recently called Kevin Feige’s ability to run the MCU into question. These comments come after the recent box office disappointment of The Marvels, and a largely disappointing 2023 for Marvel Studios and its parent company Disney. While there are some concerns that can be raised about the current state of the MCU, it is also worth noting that these statements come from an ally of the controversial ex-Marvel executive, Ike Perlmutter.

These recent comments come from activist investor Nelson Peltz, as reported by Variety, who has had some conflict with Disney CEO Bob Iger in the past. Following some statements about Black Panther and The Marvels, which misrepresented the films themselves, Peltz was asked about his thoughts on Kevin Feige. Peltz’s comments on Marvel and Feige can be seen below:

Why do I have to have a Marvel [movie] that’s all women?” Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that? Why can’t I have Marvels that are both? Why do I need an all-Black cast?… I’m not ready to say [Kevin Feige should be removed as president of Marvel Studios], but I question his record.

It’s worth noting that The Marvels does include characters like Nick Fury who aren’t women, and both Black Panther movies don’t have all-Black casts as Peltz claims. Regardless, it is clear Peltz does not support the creative decisions being made by Feige and Marvel.

The MCU’s Recent Struggles Explained

Marvel Studios Has Been Plagued By Box Office Flops And Critical Misses

The MCU has been facing some issues lately; 2023 saw two major box office disappointments in the form of The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Quantumania is also now the lowest-ranked MCU movie according to critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The Disney+ series, Secret Invasion, also earned a very low Rotten Tomatoes score and drew criticism for its use of AI. On top of this, Jonathan Majors, who was set up as Marvel’s new main villain, was convicted of assault and harassment and subsequently fired from the MCU.

While it’s clear that the MCU is having issues, it seems unfair to put full responsibility on Feige. There is no way Feige could have predicted the Majors situation, and The Marvels wasn’t able to be promoted properly due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that took place in 2023. Though The Marvels could’ve been delayed, it would’ve necessitated pushing back the entire MCU slate. It’s also worth considering that the issues Peltz identified with Marvel don’t hold up to scrutiny. Both Black Panther movies were huge box office successes for Marvel, as was the original Captain Marvel. The MCU‘s issues are more complicated than who stars in what movie, and are the result of more than Feige’s decisions.