Marvel's big reset: Mahershala Ali's ‘Blade,' recasting ‘X-Men' and Tony Stark, and why Miles Morales is MIA in the MCU
Here are the biggest takeaways:
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Mahershala Ali's still slicing forward
Fans have been eagerly anticipating Mahershala Ali's debut as the iconic vampire slayer in Blade, but Feige admitted the production has faced multiple setbacks. Initially announced in 2019, the project stalled due to script challenges and changes in directors. (Wesley Snipes reprised his version of Blade in last year's Deadpool & Wolverine.) Feige confirmed that retooled Blade would now set in the modern day and emphasized Marvel's commitment to delivering an 'insanely great' film rather than rushing a subpar version. While no director is currently attached, Ali remains enthusiastic, telling Variety recently, 'I'm ready. Let them know I'm ready.' Despite delays, Blade remains a priority as Marvel refocuses its creative process.
Legacy characters like Tony Stark and X-Men mutants will be recast
Feige confirmed that following Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, Marvel plans to introduce fresh faces for legacy characters like the X-Men and, eventually, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. While the iconic Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen will reprise mutant roles in Avengers: Doomsday, the upcoming X-Men films directed by Jake Schreier will feature an all-new cast. Similarly, Feige likened recasting Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark to other franchises, saying, 'It's hard … but how are they going to ever replace Sean Connery [as James Bond], right?' These recasting decisions align with Secret Wars resetting the MCU's timeline to create new beginnings for future storytelling.
Miles Morales won't be joining the MCU anytime soon
Despite intense fan demand for a live-action Miles Morales, Feige revealed that Marvel has been asked to 'stay away' from the character pending the completion of Sony's Spider-Verse animated trilogy. With Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse slated for 2027, any live-action integration of Miles into the MCU will be delayed until after Sony concludes its cartoon plans. While disappointing for fans, Feige indicated Marvel's respect for Sony's storytelling autonomy and a willingness to wait for the right moment. While insisting diversity is still important, Feige stated, 'Marvel represents the world outside your window. I've always said it, before DEI and woke became a thing, and after DEI and woke became a thing — are we after? I don't think so.' He pointed to Ms. Marvel and The Marvels star Iman Vellani as 'one of the greatest bits of casting we've ever done,' adding, 'I can't wait to see her somewhere.'
Doctor Doom overthrows Kang as MCU's next big villain
Jonathan Majors' legal troubles and lukewarm audience reception to his Kang the Conqueror in the underwhelming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania prompted Marvel to pivot toward Doctor Doom as its new central villain. Feige hyped up Downey's portrayal of Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, saying the actor is tapping into Doom's decades-long comic legacy as an undeniable powerhouse. Feige insisted the decision wasn't solely reactionary, stating that Marvel realized Kang lacked the weight of a universe-defining antagonistic presence even before events affecting Majors unfolded.
Marvel moves overseas for big productions
Feige addressed why the massive Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars productions are relocating overseas to London's Pinewood Studios rather than staying in conventional U.S. hubs (most of the MCU productions had been at Trilith Studios, former Pinewood Atlanta). While generous U.K. subsidies play a role in the move, the decision ultimately comes down to securing stage space amid Hollywood's broad production pressures. While Feige predicted future films would again lean toward U.S.-based production hubs, such as Atlanta and New York, this shift underscores the industry-wide trend of productions running away from Hollywood.
Scaling back for quality: Less TV and fewer films
Feige openly acknowledged that Marvel's doubling of content since Avengers: Endgame created a problem of "quantity trumping quality." As a solution, the studio plans to streamline production, limiting feature films to three annually and scaling back TV shows to just one live-action series per year. In a notable shift, Marvel TV will return to standalone storytelling, disallowing crossover pressure that requires viewers to follow every project just to stay caught up. It's part of Marvel's effort to make its offerings less intimidating and accessible to casual fans.
As Marvel resets its towering franchise, which has earned more than $31 billion worldwide, Feige appears optimistic about returning the MCU to its roots of bold storytelling. By prioritizing focused projects, reducing financial pressure, and leaning into accessibility without alienating diverse characters, Marvel may yet find its footing — and audiences may rediscover their love for its stories.
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2 hours ago
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps': What to expect and why the end credits scene matters
It's clobberin' time for " The Fantastic Four: First Steps." The highly anticipated film is director Matt Shakman's take on the group of four superheroes: Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ben Grimm/The Thing and Johnny Storm/Human Torch. At the world premiere of the film in Los Angeles earlier this week, Shakman shared that he's most excited for fans to see the film's focus on family. "This is Marvel's first family," he said. "One of the reasons why they've been so popular for 60+ years is because they're a real family. They have the messiness, the love, the heart that we recognize that makes them very relatable. We all know what it's like to be a part of a family so that's what I think is most special about them as characters and what I'm excited for audiences to see." As the film hits theaters today, we've broken down everything you need to know and are sharing what filmmakers and cast members have said. What is 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' about? According to a synopsis for the film, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" follows the iconic group of superheroes "as they face their most daunting challenge yet." "Forced to balance their roles as superheroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer," the synopsis adds. Who stars in 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'? The upcoming film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. Executive producer Kevin Feige lauded the chemistry between Pascal, Kirby, Moss-Bachrach and Quinn and said that they weren't just a family on screen but off screen. "They are a family," he said. "Marvel is about families, about found families, and the first time the four of them sat together to start doing a read-through of the script, the camaraderie was amazing." Also starring in the film are Ralph Ineson as Galactus and Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer. The cast includes Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles and Mark Gatiss. What has the cast said about the film? At the film's world premiere, Pascal said he wants fans to "experience all the love that was put into the movie." Kirby added that she's "excited" for fans to see the Fantastic Four family become a family of five. "I'm excited for fans to see how that happens because even though they're superheroes and even though they have this huge threat from out of space in the cosmos, ultimately, they're still a family, expecting a baby and I hope everybody can relate to the domesticity of that and the everydayness of who they are and I'm really hopeful about that." Where is the film set? In this "Fantastic Four" universe, the superheroes reside in a different universe called 828. "It's a retro-futuristic 1960s," Shakman said. "The only superheroes in our world are the Fantastic Four. So no interconnection, no other Marvel heroes appearing, no other Easter eggs. That's it, just the Fantastic Four." He added that their universe is a "complicated world," which includes robots, flying cars and more. "It was about building this incredibly intimate family that felt real but also setting them in this big world with lots of stakes and high drama," Shakman said. What do we know about the post-end credits scene? While filmmakers of the movie couldn't give too much away, Feige shared why fans should make it a point to stick around for the post end credits scene. "I used to really make it a point to try and convince people to stick around through the credits," Feige began. "I think most people do, they know it's a Marvel movie, they know they will be rewarded for staying in their seats after the film's over." When does 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' hit theaters? The film is in theaters now. See the trailer below.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
The Fantastic Four: First Steps plays it too safe to get it just right
If the goal for The Fantastic Four: First Steps was for Marvel to finally get the comic world's first family right, then the mission has finally been accomplished. If the goal was more than that, the ship remains in orbit. The trouble with the latest Marvel attempt at bringing the Fantastic Four to the big screen is also what gets it across the finish line. It's a film perfectly concocted to avoid getting dinged for technicalities, a savvy brand investment that feels new enough but still clings to the formula that fuels the fore-heroes that come before it. Is there a post-credit scene in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? It's sleek, sturdy and sentimental, but it drives with a strict governor that prohibits it from ever being more than just satisfactory. Marvel Studios tries so hard to avoid another Fantastic 4-tastrophe that it forgets to stretch its legs and really settle into finding some tangible soul. A lack of cinematic flexibility is pretty ironic for a movie with a character with superhuman elasticity and wholly emblematic of a movie studio gone so far astray that didn't even try for a grand slam to ensure the double gets logged on the stat sheet. Making movies isn't about connecting the dots; the art is not a math equation where your eureka moment is a solved problem that crosses a new group of characters off your completion sheet. You've got to feel your way into the storm and find your spirit through the struggle. Good enough isn't good enough, or at least it shouldn't be, not with Disney's unlimited resources. As much as the Tomorrowland 1960s retrofuturism sets a bountiful stage for the action and Michael Giacchino's score punctuates the mood with operatic urgency, director Matt Shakman plays it safe whenever he can. The script from Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer gives the big four just enough characterization to keep the predictable plot humming, but not enough to risk hitting a false note. Yes, cribbing off Brad Bird's Incredibles movies makes sense when you think about how this comic series influenced Bird with his Pixar masterclasses, but to what end if you can't add anything to the discussion? To borrow from another Bird movie, food critic Anton Ego from Ratatouille would probably send this dish back to the kitchen... not because it tastes bad, but because it lacks any sense of real perspective. Shakman's ability to set a stage was apparent with WandaVision, as he's really got a knack for atmosphere through production design. His projects with Marvel have all looked great, but the focus tends to be on allowing the aura to mask the lack of flavor. This is a film where the concept art book is probably a page-turner, but the script book might put you to sleep. The film occasionally scrapes a higher sky, but it pulls back within a moment's notice of even vaguely attempting to see what's possible beyond the stars. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach all take dutiful approaches, but there's only so much for them to do. Any characterization has to be done through the performances, but it almost seems at times like most of the actors are just a bit bored by all the whizzing doo-dads and plot-moving chitter-chatter about how this connecting to that to save this day and that day if at all possible. Kirby gets occasional gravity through her character's journey into motherhood. Pascal also seems eager to chew on the film's only moral complexity, if he and his super team would be willing to sacrifice their newborn child in service to the world they have sworn to protect. In the film's best moment, a jittery reporter probes Pascal's Reed Richards about if his team is actually going to be able to save the world once Galactus enters the picture. Pascal nails the remorseful expression of doubt, and the world's favorite heroes quickly become a global pariah. However, the film doesn't wish to linger in this discomfort for longer than it has to, and the resolution to the only real dramatic meat on the bone is just far, far too tidy to register. The moment is the film's great weakness presented as a strength. It never lets itself sit in a decision that could challenge the audience; instead, it squarely aims at wriggling free from having to confront the messiness of the dilemmas its characters face. Also, it's a bit baffling that a film with such delirious cosmic oddities doesn't take more pride in its wilder nature. Part of why James Gunn's Superman worked so well is that Gunn never shied away from the inherently cartoonish nature of the material. His film is endearingly messy and thoroughly passionate; there's a willingness to breach the void and find out if something works or not. It owns its blemishes and soars at its heights. The latest Fantastic Four film sets a workable floor for itself because it refuses to install a ceiling. Like, this is a movie with a gigantic space robot man villain who wants to eat the Earth because he's hungry or transfer himself into the body of a baby. One of the main characters is a giant orange rock man who can grow a beard. You don't need to go full Taika Waititi to infuse your movie with even the slightest hint of irreverence. Even so, Marvel can chalk the film as a win because, for the first time in the company's history, it finally has a generally agreeable Fantastic Four it can use in other company properties. Audiences will probably enjoy the film because there's not much to hate. The golf claps abound. However, is that really the goal here now? Inoffensiveness with a historically problematic intellectual property is a sensible content strategy (mild vomit in throat), and The Fantastic Four: First Steps has no desire to do anything but Entertain the Fans (TM). It's a perfectly fine superhero movie, but it's not much more than that. Shakman and company get the job done, but nobody is going to accuse this movie of striving to be fantastic. These heroes are just happy to get home in one piece this time around.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
I stopped doing my Marvel homework a long time ago, but I'm still excited for Fantastic Four because it wipes the MCU slate clean
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. This year, Marvel introduces its first family to the MCU in the studio's biggest film of the year, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But as well as adding a flurry of new characters to the extended universe and setting up Avengers: Doomsday, the upcoming movie also has the chance to gain the studio a whole new audience by wiping the slate clean, and perhaps alleviating some of that superhero fatigue felt by many an old Marvel head. Let's face it, keeping up with the MCU feels a lot like homework nowadays. If you want to see a new Marvel movie heading to theaters, or a show coming to Disney Plus, there's a good chance you'll need to have watched multiple different projects beforehand to understand references, or recognise characters and cameos. But in the real world, some people just don't have the time to keep up with everything. In this respect, being a Marvel fan has become exclusive and simply not accessible to everyone. That's why I think that Fantastic Four is the perfect opportunity for new and old fans to get (re)acquainted with the MCU. The movie is finally wiping the slate clean, bringing new characters, a fresh '60s world, and new villains to the MCU so that you can fall in love with Marvel all over again, just in time for Doomsday. Wiping the slate clean Starring Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/Thing, The Fantastic Four follows Marvel's first family at the height of their popularity, living in a retro-futuristic '60s America. However, their perfect world comes crashing down when Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives to warn them that their 'planet has been marked for death' and will soon be devoured by Galactus (Ralph Ineson). As exciting as that sounds, the most important detail of The Fantastic Four: First Steps is that it more or less acts as a stand-alone movie. Meaning, you don't really have to watch anything before you go and see it in the cinema. This will be music to many a prospective viewer's ears. Especially those who haven't been keeping up with Marvel's numerous side-stories and have been patiently waiting for a way back into the MCU. For me, I loved the OG Marvel movies whilst growing up, from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies to the good ol' Fox days of X-Men and the '00s Fantastic Four flicks. However, by involving myself in other genres and franchises, I lost my way with Marvel, and before I knew it, I was trying to keep up with new releases but had no idea what was going on. So, like many others, I just stopped keeping up with it. In short, I contracted a terrible case of superhero fatigue. Could The Fantastic Four: First Steps cure superhero fatigue? From speaking with other ex-Marvel lovers and film buffs, I know I am not alone in feeling this way. I think this is where the phenomenon of 'superhero fatigue' or 'superhero exhaustion' comes from. Audiences don't want their viewing experiences to feel like work. And when you have to dedicate huge chunks of time watching other projects just to be able to enjoy one single film, it feels like a task, and this can be daunting for new fans, especially. In saying this, I wonder, could Fantastic Four: First Steps be the cure for Marvel? We have seen with James Gunn's Superman just how a more-or-less stand-alone superhero flick can stir up a large audience and attract viewers who perhaps don't usually opt to see comic book movies on the big screen. Drawing in a bigger crowd is surely Marvel's goal after this year's releases. Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World didn't exactly knock it out of the park at the box office, for Marvel movies, that is. Looking forward to Doomsday Wrangling that wider audience would also mean that there would be more eyes on Marvel's huge upcoming event, Avengers: Doomsday. The studio has really thrown everything it has at the wall with this one, by welcoming back a giant list of OG Marvel characters such as Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Alan Cummings' Nightcrawler, as well as Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Tom Hiddleston's Loki. Marvel is even bringing back its biggest star, Robert Downey Jr. But as we all know, his character Iron Man sacrificed his life in Avengers: Endgame. But that's not a bother for the Multiverse, as RDJ will be playing a brand new character, villain Doctor Doom. What's more is that the new Fantastic Four and The New Avengers will also play a vital role in the movie. I'm seeing a 'new' theme here, which is perfect for us returning fans. So what do you say? Will you give Marvel another chance? I will certainly be going to see The Fantastic Four: First Steps to meet the MCU's First Family. And who knows, maybe the movie will ignite my passion for all things MCU and spur me on to catch up on some more of the studio's recent projects. The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 24 in the UK and July 25 in the US as part of Marvel Phase 6. For more, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, and keep up with all the other upcoming Marvel movies and shows. Solve the daily Crossword
