There might not be another Marvel movie until May 2020, but that doesn't mean Kevin Feige won't be busy.
Following the huge success of Marvel Studios capped with Avengers: Endgame's record-breaking run this year, Deadline has reported that Feige is now chief creative officer for Marvel, as well as continuing in his role as president of Marvel Studios.
Given how synonymous Feige has become with Marvel, it's easy to forget that he's never really had a say in Marvel projects outside of the MCU movies before.
But this new role will change all of that.
This isn't the first shakeup to happen with Marvel. In 2015, Marvel separated Marvel Entertainment and Marvel Studios, with Marvel Studios moved under the remit of Walt Disney Studios.
That meant Feige directly reported to Disney co-chairman and chief creative officer Alan Horn and co-chairman Alan Bergman. Everything else Marvel-related (including its TV shows on Netflix and ABC) stayed with Marvel Entertainment under Marvel chairman Isaac Perlmutter.
What to Read Next
Feige's new role as Marvel's chief creative officer doesn't change the fact that he reports into Horn and Bergman, but it does significantly change who reports to Feige.
The new role means that Feige will oversee the overall creative direction of Marvel's storytelling across all mediums, meaning that Marvel TV and Marvel Family Entertainment have moved to Marvel Studios.
All of the company's creative executives will report to Feige, including Marvel Entertainment president Dan Buckley and Marvel TV executive vice president Jeph Loeb.
But what exactly does that mean on the screen for viewers?
Well, it opens up the exciting possibility of more crossovers between all Marvel properties, with Feige now in control of their overall direction.
Fans have long wished for the Netflix Marvel heroes like Daredevil and Jessica Jones to appear in the MCU, and now that Feige and Buckley will work more closely together, it would make such crossovers easier to plan.
That doesn't mean we should expect the resurrection of those Netflix heroes, mind. With a whole host of Disney+ shows already set up, it's likely that these will be the focus of Feige when it comes to live-action TV shows.
It was recently reported that Marvel TV will start focusing more on animation, instead of live-action, but this hasn't yet been confirmed. Either way, it's said that no decisions have been made on projects currently airing, such as Runaways, or on those that are in development, such as Helstrom.
Agents of SHIELD is gearing up for its final season, so that will likely be the end of the road in the MCU for those characters, especially as the MCU moves into its second decade and life beyond Avengers: Endgame.
We know that the Disney+ shows will be more closely linked than ever to the MCU, and this feels like the direction Feige will focus on for now, before expanding the Marvel universe any further in live-action projects.
It's speculation for now, but Feige's new role might also see Marvel comics more closely linked to the MCU in the form of tie-in comics.
These have always been a thing, but largely revolved around retelling a movie's plot in comic form. Maybe now they can play a critical storytelling role as well, with the MCU being told across movies, TV and comics in the future.
Of course, at this early stage, we don't know what Feige has planned, but in streamlining things behind the scenes, Marvel just opened up the possibility for the MCU becoming bigger than ever.
Disney+ Watch the MCU on Disney+
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
