Kevin Feige Talks About Marvel’s ‘Secret’ Formula, Reveals Why Ant-Man 3 Begins Phase 5

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) does not have a secret at all, despite being a globally successful phenomenon since 2008. Even though the franchise now has dozens of films and shows, Feige says there is nothing special behind it.

Appearing on The Movie Business Podcast with Jason E. Squire, Feige was asked about the secret behind the mammoth that is the MCU. He responded by saying that, “The honest truth, which is not as exciting, but you get the inside scoop on this podcast, and I’ll give it to you. There are no secrets. There’s secrets in terms of the storylines, and spoilers, and things like that, but if there was a formula because people have been asking up for a very long time, ‘What’s the formula?’ and the truth is there isn’t any.”

Feige also said that the only thing that makes the MCU successful is hard work. According to the president, the “secret” is hard work that is shared across organisations, storytellers, and filmmakers. He added that the only thing that serves as fuel for this hard work is passion, which they have in plenty at Marvel Studios.

Why Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumnania will kick off Phase 5 of the MCU

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is directed by Peyton Reed and will introduce Kang the Conqueror, who is played by Jonathan Majors. The film will mark the beginning of the MCU’s Phase 5 and also introduce the next big villain in the franchise. Feige said in the film’s featurette video (which you can watch above) that the reason behind choosing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania for such a big moment was because of the character’s underestimated power. Feige said, “We always love doing the unexpected with Scott Lang. He is, arguably, the character that is the most under-estimated. Ant-Man became the key to saving the universe in Avengers: Endgame. So, carrying that tradition, we thought, ‘Hey, let’s use this film to kick off Phase 5.’”