Disney Wanted More From Marvel. Now It Wants Less.

The head of Marvel Studios told colleagues recently that watching all the comic-book giant's new TV shows and films had started to feel more like homework than entertainment.

- Ben Fritz

The problem, Kevin Feige acknowledged, is that in an effort to satisfy parent company Disney's hunger for content on its new streaming service, the studio behind "The Avengers" churned out too many movies and shows with interconnected stories.

The deluge of material from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, on Disney+ overwhelmed and eventually alienated viewers. It also stretched Feige and his team's resources thin, diluting the quality of their output. Marvel's box-office sales, streaming popularity and formerly untouchable position in pop culture suffered.

Now, Feige is leading an internal overhaul aimed at getting the studio back on track. Marvel is making fewer TV shows, with stand-alone stories that don't require prior knowledge of the MCU. Feige is focused on fixing the studio's movie slate following recent flops like February's "Captain America: Brave New World."

The first major test of his reset arrived this week with "Thunderbolts," about a team of sidekicks, has-beens and other C-listers who save the world in the Avengers' absence. Early box-office sales indicate it will open to between $70 million and $75 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, which would put it in the lowest tier of the company's releases.

Still, reviews for "Thunderbolts" have been largely positive. If fans like the film, they'll likely be primed to see July's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps." That movie's story will lead directly into a pair of "Avengers" sequels in 2026 and 2027 that Marvel needs to be massive hits to restore its former glory.

Feige declined requests for an interview. This article is based on interviews with more than a dozen people who have worked at Marvel or done business with the studio.

Papa Feige