Kevin Feige almost left Marvel Studios over lack of diversity in the MCU

Over the past decade and change, Kevin Feige has shepherded Marvel Studios to immense success, guiding the studio through epic superhero team-ups in the Avengers movies, developing the Thanos storyline, and launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a bold new era. Of course, it was a team effort, but if it wasn’t for Feige, the MCU as we know it likely wouldn’t exist.

And he nearly left it before it reached its peak. Speaking to The Independent, MCU mainstay Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Hulk) credited Feige for how he’s changed the game when it comes to diversity and inclusivity in the MCU, and said the executive nearly left Marvel Studios back in 2012 because it was so lacking then.

This would have been around the time of the first Avengers movie, before films like Captain Marvel or Black Panther. “When we did the first Avengers, Kevin Feige told me, ‘Listen, I might not be here tomorrow,'” Ruffalo remembered.

Why such a cryptic statement? Well, at the time, he was very gung-ho about speaking with current Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter about why there were no female superhero movies being made. “And [Kevin’s] like, ‘Ike does not believe that anyone will go to a female-starring superhero movie. So if I am still here tomorrow, you will know that I won that battle.”

Obvious, he won the battle, and thank goodness for that.

"Because Kevin wanted black superheroes, women superheroes, LGBT superheroes. He changed the whole Marvel universe. We now have a gay superhero on the way, we have black superheroes, we have female superheroes – Scarlett Johansson has her movie coming out, we have Captain Marvel, they are doing She-Hulk next. No other studio is being that inclusive on that level. They have to, though. This is the f***ing world."

Indeed, looking forward to a movie like The Eternals, the future of diversity in the MCU looks bright, thanks in no small part because Feige was willing to stand up for what’s right in the face of small-minded executives.

Here’s to hoping Feige has many more years left with Marvel Studios! We all benefit with people like him in charge of things.

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h/t SYFY Wire