Everything Marvel Studios shared during the streamer's TCA Winter Press Tour.
After a year without Marvel, fans of Hollywood's super franchise are eating well in 2021, with back-to-back-to-back streaming series and four films scheduled to hit theaters ensuring a constant influx of MCU content. It makes sense, then, that the Marvel news cycle has extended beyond Comic-Con and beyond Disney Investor Day to Disney+'s TCA Winter Press Conference.
On Wednesday, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige fielded questions about the streamer's slate of MCU series, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye, and locked in a release date for one upcoming project: Loki premieres on the streamer on June 11.
Below, all of the MCU news out of Disney+'s TCA presentation:
The State of MCU TV
Feige provided a status update at the top of his presentation, noting that he was Zooming from the set of Ms. Marvel, which is currently filming with Iman Vellani, and added that production on the Tatiana Maslany-starring She-Hulk and Oscar Isaac-fronted Moon Knight begins in a few weeks.
To Binge or Not to Binge
In an era of bingeing, WandaVision's week-to-week rollout has proven divisive with some viewers. But Feige says the plan is to continue releasing upcoming series on a weekly basis. "We're building the shows to be experienced that way," he said. To a later question, Feige reiterated, "We'll keep proceeding that way until we learn something new and have to shift."
Not-So-Limited Series
Feige was asked whether any of the upcoming series will extend beyond a limited-series format into second or third seasons. "Yes. And it will be dictated by the story," he said. "Sometimes it will go into a series two, sometimes it will go into a feature and then [back to] a series."
For certain upcoming series, "We're keeping in mind a structure that would lead into a season two or season three in a more direct way," unlike the leap, say, Elizabeth Olsen will make from WandaVision back to the big screen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
"Perhaps someday we'll chart out five seasons of a show," Feige added. For now, they're developing the shows like they do the movies -- one at a time, with hopes for a sequel.
As for those characters who will move from Disney+ to the movies, Feige says the barrier of entry is being considered for fans who may not subscribe to the streamer. "There have been many conversations with the entire Doctor Strange team that this movie has to work for those that saw WandaVision and, more importantly, for those who didn't... I always say, when the lights go down and the movie starts, it’s a clean slate."
Marvel After Dark
With the freedom provided by streaming and Disney+'s grown-up skewing Star in certain countries, Feige was asked whether Marvel was considering more adult programming. "We target everything we're doing for kids and adults," Feige replied, nixing properties that would veer into the R-rated.
"Other than Deadpool, which has already established itself as a certain rating and we've said we won't mess with," he hedged. There could be conversations in the future, but for now, Feige says they have not felt held back by a PG-13 rating. "We've been able to tell all the stories we've wanted to with the rating that we have now."
About That Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Crossover
When Feige was asked about the success of Marvel Studios' television efforts following certain failures of Marvel Television in the past, he very graciously pointed out, "I think there are legions of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans and Daredevil fans and Jessica Jones fans... that would disagree with you."
But if any of those heroes will join the MCU anytime soon, Feige isn't saying. Asked about the film rights for the Marvel characters previously set up at Netflix and whether Marvel Studios could do a story with, for example, Jessica Jones, he said, "I think we probably could... There's always rumors online about things reverting, sometimes that's true and sometimes that's not."
He echoed that sentiment when pressed on rumors that the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast will finally and officially be brought into the MCU fold. "I'll just say there are often rumors that are true and rumors that are not true," he replied. "Everything else, we'll just have to see."
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