The Marvel Cinematic Universe was a risky move upon its inception, as there had never been such serialized storytelling across multiple movie franchises. But it worked, and the innovation has only continued in later Marvel movies. And studio boss Kevin Feige has reflected on how Captain America: Civil War ended up influencing other MCU projects.
Phase Three kicked off with a bang thanks to The Russo Brothers’ Captain America: Civil War. There were a dizzying amount of heroes duking it out throughout the project’s runtime, who fought each other rather than a villain. It turns out that the scope of that project helped influence future crossover events, as Kevin Feige explained,
I think that going back to [Captain America] Civil War, sort of having an idea for a movie that is based entirely on what actors and what characters that we can get to work together and shoot on a single day ... When that worked, it gave us the ambition for movies like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. I would include No Way Home into that level of ambition for sure.
The man’s got a point. Captain America: Civil War was the first time we saw so many MCU characters assembled on the big screen (except for Chris Hemsworth), proving it was both possible and profitable. And with that knowledge and experience the studio moved forward with even more wild projects like Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Kevin Feige’s comments come from a conversation with Collider about Spider-Man: No Way Home. That blockbuster was also a crazy ensemble project, featuring actors from the previous two franchises. And the accomplished producer definitely sees the way Captain America: Civil War opened new doors for the franchise. Because if they could make that wild tarmac battle happen, what was to stop the studio from pulling off even bigger scenes?
The scope of Spider-Man: No Way Home definitely paid off, as it broke box office records and reclaimed the #1 spot at the box office. But fans are already curious about when the next Avengers-level movie might occur. With so many new characters being added thanks to projects on the small and silver screens, audiences are ready to see more character pairings. But it doesn’t seem like Marvel Studios is rushing into another crossover event of that nature.
Aside from breaking new ground with the size of its cast, Captain America: Civil War set up various plot points that continue to resonate through the MCU as a whole. Wanda and Vision’s romance started there, as well as the break-up of the Avengers. Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man debuted, and the tarmac battle explains Hawkeye and Ant-Man’s absence throughout the course of Infinity War.
The next installment in the MCU is Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
