Kevin Feige

If you were hanging around the internet for even a few minutes the other day, then you undoubtedly saw reports that Selma director Ava DuVernay had been officially hired by Marvel to helm Black Panther. Those reports were unsubstantiated and unconfirmed by Marvel — little more than a rumor that was reported without a source to back it up. But at least one related report has now been officially confirmed by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige himself.

That first trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made one thing very clear: Zack Snyder’s upcoming superhero throwdown is not a Marvel movie. Not in character and especially not in tone. It was the latest punch thrown in the not-so-secret war between Marvel and DC, as Warner Bros. gears up to challenge Marvel Studios at the “shared universe” game. Whether intentional or not (and we’re betting on intentional), recent statements from MCU mastermind Kevin Feige feel like a direct jab at that Batman v Superman trailer and its dark, dreary tone.

Since Avengers: Age of Ultron is already well on its way to making $1 billion worldwide, chances are strong that you’ve already seen Marvel’s latest adventure and won’t need a spoiler warning about the apparent death of a main character. Still, just in case, here’s a spoiler warning, because Marvel President Kevin Feige has officially confirmed that the character in question is no longer among the living and won’t be coming back to life.

If you haven’t seen Avengers: Age of Ultron yet, now is your chance to turn back, as this post addresses a question raised by the mid-credits scene at the end of the new film. Many fans have pointed out something strange about that scene — something that doesn’t quite make sense given what we know about the MCU so far. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has an explanation for you, if you just can’t wait another movie (or three) to find out.

Marvel has long included Easter eggs in their films, referencing other superheroes and properties in the MCU throughout its current run with Disney. But there’s another Disney property that’s been acknowledged in the MCU: Star Wars. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige reveals that they’ve used the same Star Wars Easter egg in each and every one of their Phase Two films, although you probably didn’t notice it.

Just yesterday we learned from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige that the new Spider-Man will still be Peter Parker, and the studio plans on keeping him in high school, where they feel there’s more fertile ground for storytelling. In addition, Feige has delivered some further details about the Marvel/Sony collaboration, revealing that we’re not getting yet another origin story and that they’ve already designed a new costume.

Marvel held a huge press conference in support of Avengers: Age of Ultron, but that wasn’t the only topic on the agenda — Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige debuted a new Ant-Man trailer, which will arrive online today (don’t worry), and Feige spoke a bit about how their tiny superhero fits into the larger MCU.

It’s still kind of mind-blowing that Sony managed to strike a deal with Marvel to collaborate on a new Spider-Man, effectively nixing any further plans to continue their most recent franchise. It goes without saying that it’s a good thing, but now that Marvel and Sony are starting from scratch with the web-slinging hero (again), it’s been speculated that the studios might go in a new direction with the character. As it turns out, they’re keeping things pretty traditional.

There was a lot to digest out of this week's major Marvel Event that saw the formal announcement of the eight films in Phase 3 including Black Panther and Captain Marvel spinoffs. But, with all these Avengers getting sequels and spinoffs, one has to wonder about two of the more popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who are still left without their own films: Hulk and Black Widow. Despite the fact that audiences love both characters, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said that they have no current plans to give either character their own solo movie.

Guardians Of The Galaxy just enjoyed a very successful weekend at movie theaters, taking home around $94m, far in excess of expectations. The movie also stands at 92% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, joining all previous Marvel Studios movies in receiving predominantly favorable notices. Marvel Studios is doing very well. In six years and ten movies, it has avoided both critical and commercial disasters, and frustrated naysayers who hailed the demise of the superhero movie at every step. Marvel's rivals at Fox, Sony Columbia, and Warner Bros, have enjoyed commercial success as well -- but not with the acclaim, consistency, or proliferation of Marvel. So how does Marvel do it, and can they keep doing it?