Part 3: Kevin Feige on Everything MCU in New Entertainment Weekly

Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige knows what to say when talking the future of the MCU, something he proves once again in the most recent Avengers: Infinity War issue of Entertainment Weekly.

Feige was asked a bit about everything during the spotlight feature, because let’s be honest, there’s HOW MANY films still on the slate for this phase of the universe alone? Needless to say, it’s a lot of ground to cover, so we’re going to break up the piece into parts, because it’ll make more sense that way.

Entertainment Weekly: With Infinity War, you’ve talked about this being an endpoint or a climax. You’ve built up this world over 10 years, what are you looking to do to it with this film and next year’s follow-up?

Kevin Feige: Playing rough with toys, as you said. [Laughs] With Infinity War, it’s coming to a climax, coming to a conclusion of seeds with all the MacGuffins in various movies, and with Untitled Avengers a year later, bringing what will be that first 22 movie arc to a finality. That doesn’t mean there are no movies after that. Of course not. It means the movies after that will be changed. Again, it goes to the comics. Every great event in the 50 plus years of publishing history would have an impact on the individual books going forward after that.

EW: Can you describe how Infinity War might reshape the tone of films to come?

Feige: You start to think differently about how the characters are interacting, what character’s stories are coming to a close, and what character’s stories are only just beginning. Those stories will continue. I think they’ll continue in surprisingly different and unexpected ways after these two Avengers films.

EW: When we talk about resolution or a character’s story ending, are we necessarily talking about death?

Feige: People always will jump to that. That’s not necessarily what we’re talking about. I talk a lot, because I’m a big-ass nerd, about Star Trek: The Next Generation, “All Good Things.” That to me is one of the best series finales ever. That wasn’t about death. Picard went and played poker with the crew, something he should have done a long time ago, right?

EW: One criticism you’ve gotten is when somebody dies in a Marvel movie, they tend to come back in some way. If it happens, will it be for real this time?

Feige: Yes. I mean, I could always list off the characters that we’ve killed in our movies that haven’t come back, but the big ones, which I know they’re looking at …? [Pause.] I would just say, yes. People need to be careful what they wish for.

I personally love that Feige dropped the Star Trek TNG reference; it makes perfect sense in the context.

Make sure to pick up your copy of Entertainment Weekly’s Avengers: Infinity War issue out now.