Sebastian Stan, who has played Bucky Barnes/The Winter Solider for nearly 10 years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, believes Kevin Feige deserves more credit.
Sebastian Stan argues that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige’s meticulous planning for the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone unnoticed. The MCU is already in its 14th year and shows no signs of slowing down, with 27 theatrically released films and five Disney+ streaming episodes as part of its core continuity. Indeed, the franchise’s popularity has been strong enough to withstand the film industry’s impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Marvel Studios’ movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home among the few constant money-makers as fans cautiously returned to theaters last year.
Stan has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2011, when he first appeared as Steve Rogers’ best buddy Bucky Barnes in the 2011 origin film Captain America: The First Avenger. Rogers was resurrected and reprogrammed into the mystery assassin The Winter Solider after his apparent death in The First Avenger, for whom Rogers started a civil war among the Avengers in an attempt to restore him to his former self. Stan went on to co-star in the Marvel/Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Solider, with Anthony Mackie’s Falcon, who went on to take the mantle of Captain America with the support of Bucky.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Stan claimed that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige did not get enough “credit” for his efforts to the MCU. The actor reflected on his career, which has largely revolved around his recurring role as Bucky Barnes. When discussing the producer behind every MCU installment, Stan suggested that Kevin Feige deserved more credit for the MCU’s smart structuring, which sees distinct plotlines weave in and out of one other over multiple installments.
Stan is one of the best persons to commend Feige for his ability to tie the Marvel universe together, as he has appeared in eight separate projects across the MCU, with more maybe on the way. True, the MCU’s organization necessitates a great deal of skill, and Feige has produced a number of fan-favorite crossovers (such as incorporating the Hulk’s post-Avengers: Age of Ultron status into the plot of Thor Ragnarök), as well as massively successful large-scale ensemble films like Avengers: Endgame and the recent Eternals). Many of Feige’s actions, according to some experts, have been responsible for the emotional heart of MCU movies and shows, implying that he is working on more than just the mechanics of the universe. Despite her and star Scarlett Johansson’s objections, Feige allegedly pushed director Cate Shortland to include the dinner table scene between Natasha and her adopted family in Black Widow.
While Feige’s management of the MCU has clearly been a major hit with moviegoers, with the series breaking box office records on a regular basis, others have critiqued the series’ highly structured style. Directors like Denis Villeneuve and Martin Scorsese have chastised Marvel, claiming that many of the studio’s films have the same tone and style, preventing them from standing out. This has been compared to DC’s current filmography, which appears to have given directors like James Gunn (who also directed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy film) greater creative leeway, allowing for more variety. Regardless, Marvel Studios has benefited greatly from Feige’s work in developing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Stan accurately points out that despite the fact that not everyone in the crowd knows his name, Feige’s efforts have made him one of the most successful film producers in history.
