In an extremely in-depth interview with Vanity Fair, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, Disney CEO Bob Iger and others spoke about the future of the Marvel Universe as fans know it on the big screen, and, boy, are changes coming soon!
The interview brought the likes of Feige and his current "Avengers" stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and more together for the 10th anniversary of "Iron Man," the film that started the interconnected universe back in 2008. After that hit directed by Jon Favreau, it wasn't surprising to see a cameo from another Marvel hero at the end of the credits or expect to see your favorite Avengers take the big stage together in the coming years.
Read: How 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Cast Has Changed Since First 'Avengers' Related: 'Thor: Ragnarok': Recaps of last 16 Marvel Cinematic Universe moviesHere's everything we learned from the rare Feige interview:
1 - So many more movies to come!
Marvel Studios has released 17 films as of "Thor: Ragnarok," with five more coming in the next couple of years.
Iger told Vanity Fair that Marvel has rights to 7,000 characters, and Feige added, "we’ve got another 20 movies on the docket that are completely different from anything that’s come before — intentionally,”
2 - Avengers 4 deets!
The film that will follow next year's epic "Infinity War (Avengers 3)" hasn't even been teased yet to fans, but that didn't stop Feige from dropping a superhero-sized bomb about what that 2019 film means.
It will “bring things you’ve never seen in superhero films: a finale ... There will be two distinct periods. Everything before 'Avengers 4' and everything after. I know it will not be in ways people are expecting."
The actors themselves know a lot of changes are coming, even possible deaths!
“I feel a lot of joy for the next generation,” said Scarlett Johansson, who plays Black Widow (who just died in the comics). “It’s a bittersweet feeling, but a positive one.”
Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, added during a group hang, "We’re all aware that this is going to be the last time we get to hang out like this.”
3 - The origin of the famed post-credit scene
Feige spoke about Samuel L. Jackson’s cameo at the end of "Iron Man" in 2008, where he recruits (kinda) Tony Stark for his "Avengers Initiative."
“We put it at the end so it wouldn’t be distracting,” Feige said.
He said that after fans freaked out at the cameo, he knew they had something with the now-expected scene or scenes after the credits had finished rolling. That also marked the appetite to see heroes appear in films they might not be the star of.
4 - Feige knows he missed the boat with 'Wonder Woman'
He's aware that Marvel could have been the first to have a female director and star leading a film (with Black Widow for example), but fell behind when DC put out smash hit "Wonder Woman" this year led by Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot.
“Yeah, I think it’s always fun to be first with most things,” he admitted.
But he added that having Oscar-winner Brie Larson at the helm for 2019's "Captain Marvel" is something fans should be excited for. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will also be directing that film.
“Everything’s going to work out. 'Captain Marvel' is a very different type of movie,” he said.
5 - Directors know what they are getting themselves into with Marvel
In the interview, Feige speaks about the effort it took to get Chris Evans to sign a six-picture deal almost a decade ago, but he also spoke about directors like Joss Whedon and Edgar Wright departing from the all-immersive universe on less than happy terms.
“Filmmakers . . . coming in understand the notion of the shared sandbox more than the initial filmmakers did because the sandbox didn’t exist then,” he said of some leaving the fray.
But he adds that directors like James Gunn and Taika Waititi are still able to put their own stamp on these films.
"'Guardians' is probably the best example of the audience validating even our more esoteric instincts,” he said.
Marvel Studios and ABC News are both owned by parent company Disney.