Kevin Feige Stands Firm: Marvel Won’t Back Away from Diversity Despite Industry Pushback

Hollywood has seen a lot of drama lately around diversity, equity, and inclusion—often called DEI. Many studios have quietly pulled back on their DEI efforts because of pressure from critics, especially with Donald Trump back in the White House pushing against these programs.

But Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says his studio isn’t giving up on trying to make movies that reflect the real world.

Feige told reporters, “I said this before ‘woke’ and ‘DEI’ became a thing and I’m still saying it after: Marvel is the world outside your window. It’s not Gotham City and Metropolis. This is New York and L.A.. And yes, there’s also Wakanda and Asgard, but it is all made up of the people who make up our world.”

This isn’t just talk for Feige. The success of “Black Panther” back in 2018 proved that diverse stories can be huge hits.

The movie made over $700 million in the U.S. and even earned Feige an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, a first for a superhero film. That success pushed Hollywood to think about how it could do better with diversity in front of and behind the camera.

But recently, things have changed. Some studios dropped or renamed their DEI programs, and Disney, Marvel’s parent company, rebranded its program to remove direct mentions of diversity and inclusion. Even so, Feige makes it clear that Marvel won’t walk away from representing different voices and backgrounds.

The studio has seen more hits with diverse characters, like “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which broke records for a Labor Day weekend opening in 2021, even with theaters still recovering from COVID closures. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. This year, Anthony Mackie’s first outing as Captain America in “Brave New World” didn’t hit $500 million worldwide, and “The Marvels,” starring Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris, was the first MCU movie to make less than $100 million in the U.S.

Despite those setbacks, Feige remains proud of Iman Vellani, who plays Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel. He called her “one of the greatest bits of casting we’ve ever done,” alongside Tom Holland, who became a breakout star as Spider-Man. Feige also hinted that the poor box office showing of “The Marvels” won’t mean the end for Ms. Marvel in the MCU.

Marvel’s approach is clear: they want their stories to look like the real world, no matter the backlash. And Feige stands behind that, saying Marvel’s future will keep embracing diversity, on screen and off.

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