Kevin Feige On What The Disney/Fox Deal Means For Marvel

What does the Disney/Fox deal mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, assuming it goes through, it means that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will one day be able to share the stage with Captain America, Spider-Man, and the rest, of course. But beyond that, what are the specific implications? When and how might this play out? That’s what we’ve all been trying to hash out ever since rumors of the deal first broke last fall.

It’s something fans have spent the last few months thinking about. But what about the man whose job it is to make sense (and successful movies) out of all of this? I’m speaking of course, of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. Speaking at a ‘Black Panther‘ press event, Feige surprisingly revealed that he found out about the merger when the news broke, just like the rest of us. But even though the bombshell’s hit, he’s still not quite ready to take it for granted. As Feige explains:

“The truth of the matter as I understand it is the deal has to be figured out. There’s been no communication. We’re not thinking about it. We’re focusing on everything we’ve already announced. If and when the deal actually happens, we’ll start to think about it more. Until then, we have a lot to do.”

Pressed on whether or not he has writers brainstorming scenarios through with the returning Marvel icons could be integrated into the cinematic universe (as he famously did during the Sony negotiations that ultimately brought Spider-Man home), the studio head added that “It would be years away. We’ve announced everything through 2019, so none of those would be adjusted.”

In other words, we can expect the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Fox’s ‘X-Men’ films to carry on as planned for at least the forseeable future. At the very least, Fox has plenty of ‘X-Men’ projects in the pipeline, and Marvel is closing in on the two-film ‘Infinity War’ epic, which they’ve been building toward for the past decade. In any case, it seems there won’t be any serious moves toward integrating Marvel’s wayward superheroes until the ink is dry on the Disney deal.

Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on the Disney/Fox merger as it becomes available.