Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige has commented on why movies like The Marvels, Captain America 4, and Thunderbolts* didn’t make a big splash at the box office.
The Marvels was released in November 2023 and only made around $206.1 million at the global box office. Captain America 4, also known as Captain America: Brave New World, arrived in February 2025 and ended its box office run at approximately $415.1 million, while Thunderbolts* came in May 2025 and made around $382.1 million.
What did Kevin Feige say about Thunderbolts*, Captain America 4, and The Marvels?
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Feige said he believes The Marvels because Marvel’s focus on Disney+ television shows led fans to think they needed to do homework before they could go see the new MCU movie.
“It’s that expansion that I think led people to say, ‘Do I have to see all of these? It used to be fun, but now do I have to know everything about all of these?’ And I think The Marvels hit it hardest where people are like, ‘OK, I recognize her from a billion-dollar movie. But who are those other two? I guess they were in some TV show. I’ll skip it.’”
Feige cited similar reasoning as to why Thunderbolts* didn’t make a bigger splash when speaking with Deadline, as he explained, “Thunderbolts* was a very good movie, but nobody knew that title, and many of those characters were from shows. There was that residual effect of [audiences going], ‘I guess I had to have seen these other shows to understand who this is?’”
As for Captain America 4, Feige said that fans didn’t respond to Brave New World because it “was the first without Chris Evans.”
All surviving members of the Thunderbolts*, now known as the New Avengers, and Anthony Mackie’s Captain America/Sam Wilson will return in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday. It’s not yet known if Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, or Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel will be part of the movie as well.
Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.
