Disney boss Bob Iger has admitted that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had become unfocused in recent years.
Across Phase Four and Five of the MCU, the franchise split into both big-screen movies and Disney+ TV shows.
However, a lot of those releases received more mixed responses from critics and fans than Marvel Studios had seen before, and films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Captain America: Brave New World underperformed at the box office.
Speaking at an investors’ call this week (via Variety), Iger said that the focus on having a stream of Disney+ content was too much, leaving all the creative talent spread too thinly.
“We all know that in our zeal to flood our streaming platform with more content, that we turned to all of our creative engines, including Marvel, and had them produce a lot more,” he said.
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“We’ve also learned over time that quantity does not necessarily beget quality. And frankly, we’ve all admitted to ourselves that we lost a little focus by making too much.
“By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality. I think the first and best example is Thunderbolts*. I feel very good about that.”
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The final movie in Phase Five, Thunderbolts* received the best critical reception for an MCU film since 2021.
Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Hannah John-Kamen, it centres on a group of Marvel anti-heroes who take on a dangerous mission.
The first Phase Six film will be The Fantastic Four: First Steps, scheduled for 25 July.
Thunderbolts* is out in cinemas now.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small.
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