Marvel Cinematic Universe architect Kevin Feige was nearly fired from Marvel Studios in 2015 before Disney CEO Bob Iger stopped it. Over the last 15 years, Feige has played an instrumental role in building the MCU up to become the biggest Hollywood franchise in history. The incredible box office success and shared universe story make Feige one of the most powerful producers at Disney and within Hollywood at large. He's gained more freedom from Disney over the years as a result. Feige's tenure at Marvel Studios has not always been smooth thanks to conflicts with former Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter.
Now, reinstated Disney CEO Bob Iger told Alex Sherman of CNBC that Perklmutter was going to fire Kevin Feige in 2015 before he stepped in.
The revelation comes as Iger is beginning to implement new plans for Disney after becoming CEO of the studio again late last year, ousting his appointed replacement, Bob Chapek. According to Iger, his decision to stop Perlmutter from firing Kevin Feige has left the former Marvel CEO very unhappy all these years later.
Kevin Feige & Ike Perlmutter's Marvel History Explained
Kevin Feige and Ike Perlmutter worked together at Marvel for nearly a decade after Feige was appointed the president of Marvel Studios. At the time, the film division of Marvel was under Perlmutter's control since he was the CEO of Marvel Entertainment. The partnership worked well enough for the early years of the MCU. Still, Perlmutter is also notorious for being cheap and not believing that diverse characters should be represented on screen. The differences in Feige and Perlmutter's leadership styles reached a boiling point in 2015.
The reasons that Perlmutter wanted to fire Kevin Feige in 2015 are clear thanks to past reports. This includes the conflicts over including more diverse heroes and movies, as well as Perlmutter wanting to reduce Captain America: Civil War's budget. It was previously reported that Feige contemplated leaving Marvel Studios to DC at this time. Now, it appears that Perlmutter was just as motivated to get rid of the Marvel Studios president. However, Bob Iger instead reorganized Disney to take Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios away from Ike Perlmutter, allowing the MCU chief to report directly to Disney's chief Alan Horn.
Considering the success that Marvel Studios and Disney have had since 2015 thanks to the MCU, Bob Iger stopping Kevin Feige's firing was the best move. It might have angered a high-ranking Disney stockholder, but getting rid of Feige could have tanked the shared universe. And if Kevin Feige did DC afterward, his MCU exit would have looked even worse for Disney, Iger, and Perlmutter.
Source: Alex Sherman/Twitter
