Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says that it is “inevitable” that the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will acknowledge the various television properties that are also set within the same continuity.
There has been discussion for a while, fueled earlier this year by comments from director Joss Whedon regarding the place of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in relation to the MCU during press for Avengers: Age of Ultron, about supposed behind-the-scenes tension between the film and TV elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige has occasionally been circumspect about any displeasure that the film universe they have been very careful — and successful — in building has to include or account for any story points presented by the TV shows. In particular, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been a supposed point of contention because it is the most closely associated of the shows.
Whether or not there is truth to any agita, Feige addressed the burgeoning TV side of the shared universe at the Age of Ultron Blu-ray release event at L.A.’s Hero Complex Gallery on Tuesday. Per IGN, Feige attributes the difficulty for the film side to tip their hat to the very different scheduling between the two media.
“I think that’s inevitable at some point as we’re plotting the movies going forward and they’re doing the shows,” he explained during the Age of Ultron event at the Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles on September 29th.
The issue thus far, he said, is that the schedules for the TV shows and movies “do not always quite match up to make that possible.”
“It’s easier for them. They’re more nimble and faster and produce things quicker than we do, which is one of the main reasons you see the repercussions of Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron in the show,” Feige said. “Going forward and certainly as they begin to do more shows and cast them with such great actors as they have — particularly Daredevil — that that may occur. A lot of it is by the time we start doing a movie, they’d be midway through a season; by the time it comes out they’d be done with the second, starting the third season. Finding timing on that is not always easy.”
With the critical and popular success of Daredevil, fans have been clamoring for the film division to find a way to incorporate the characters into the big-screen world at some point soon. As Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has staked its claim on the growing presence of Inhumans in the MCU, it only makes sense that some connection be drawn to the Inhumans feature film that is due to drop in 2019.
Agent Carter fills in the past of the MCU but is less dependent on much connection because of its time period. ABC is also prepping a third S.H.I.E.L.D.-affiliated series in Marvel’s Most Wanted, the spinoff that is expected to star Adrianne Palicki’s Bobbi “Mockingbird” Morse and Nick Blood’s Lance Hunter.
Buzz is growing for the next in Netflix’s slate of Marvel series, Jessica Jones, premiering on November 20. They are also currently filming the third series in that partnership, Luke Cage, as well as the second season of Daredevil, which will feature the MCU version of The Punisher.
Given the scope of the upcoming Phase 3 capping two-parter Avengers: Infinity War, perhaps Feige’s public recognition that the shows should have some place in the films will pave the way for cameos or more in the all-out slugfest.