The Marvel Creative Committee almost had a hand in keeping one of the most pivotal moments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from happening. For those who aren’t aware, the Marvel Creative Committee was a small group of executives and creators assembled to help guide Marvel Studios by offering notes and other suggestions on things like story arcs, events and things of that nature. Over the years reports surfaced that this committee and Marvel Studios were beginning to clash, with the MCC eventually disbanded. The film and scene that played a factor in the group being removed from the MCU equation was Captain America and Iron Man’s fight in the final moments of Captain America: Civil War.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The release of a new book titled The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via /Film) captured some of the untold conflicts that arose between the Marvel Creative Committee and Marvel Studios. One particular story centered on a disagreement regarding how Civil War should end. Kevin Feige, along with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, were in favor of remaining faithful to the comics and having Cap and Iron Man come to blows. However, the Marvel Creative Committee wanted the Avengers to make up in time to battle Baron Zemo’s Hydra super-soldiers in Siberia.
“We had to do a draft where they had a fight in a submarine base with five super soldiers,” Civil War co-writer Stephen McFeely recalled. “We kept saying, ‘There’s nothing interesting about that film. We’re not here to make that movie. We’re not interested in telling another superhero story,’” Joe Russo said. He later commented how a real-life civil war was brewing behind the scenes, stating, “Civil War started a civil war in Marvel. But when we drew the line in the sand, it became a moment where that company was either going to slowly bend back toward where it had come from, or it was gonna slowly start to bend toward new territory.”
With the two sides at a stalemate, Disney Chief Creative Officer Alan Horn was called in to be the deciding tiebreaker. Joe Russo made an interesting case as to why Civil War should pivot and not give fans a standard superhero team-up movie. He said: “The big thing I used to say all the time was, ‘People tell you how much they love chocolate ice cream. You give it to them six days a week, they’re gonna throw it in your face on day six. And the problem is, if you have three chocolate ice creams in the can at 200 million dollars a pop, you’re screwed. So you better start figuring out ahead of time how to be disruptive.”
Of course, Horn sided with Feige and the Russo Brothers, and fans were rewarded by seeing their favorite heroes going one-on-one. Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter, President Alan Fine, Marvel Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis, Marvel Comics Publisher Dan Buckley, and Marvel Entertainment CCO Joe Quesada were the members of the Marvel Creative Committee. With their power diminished, Marvel Studios reorganized and made Alan Horn the only person Kevin Feige needed to report to going forward.
What’s your reaction to discovering the behind-the-scenes drama on the Captain America: Civil War set? Let us know in the comments section below.
