Marvel Television: Now What?

It’s official — Kevin Feige has creative control of nearly every facet Marvel has to offer. In his new role as Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer, the Marvel Studios executive now also has the reins of Marvel Television, Marvel Animation, and Marvel Comics. In fact, the only piece of puzzle Feige really doesn’t have a say in is Marvel Games. Despite the changes, it would appear business is keeping on as usual — at least for the immediate future.

ComicBook.com has learned that as of now, Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb will continue serving as the head of the division and be a direct report to Feige. In the shuffling of the deck, it would appear the entities involving television, animation, and comics will remain separate from their new boss — they’ll simply be subsidiaries of Marvel Studios with Feige serving as the creative overlord of them all. On the surface, that makes the most sense.

Many have thought the writing’s been on the wall for Loeb and Marvel Television for quite some time now, ever since Bob Iger revealed Disney+ was going to be the primary focus of the Mouse for the foreseeable future. With the company dumping loads of cash into its direct-to-consumer offering, it makes sense for it to be the company’s focus — for now.

But with all things new, they don’t remain shiny forever. At one point or another — likely years down the line — there’s the very real possibility Disney+’s popularity will wane. That’s why it makes sense to keep Marvel Television around. With the launch of Disney+ now under a month away, many seem to forget Disney is suddenly sitting on a whole load of networks.

In addition to ABC and Freeform — Disney’s now the owner/operator of FX and FXX, two channels that could serve as significant allies to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then on top of that, Disney now has a controlling interest in Hulu, another tentpole in the world of OTT programming. Despite the Mouse dumping a healthy chunk of change into Disney+, it’s unlikely — also irresponsible — for the company to neglect the other platforms it has in its stable.

While the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe suddenly seems a lot more cohesive, I wouldn’t count Marvel Television out just quite yet. After all, at the end of the day, Feige is going to have creative control over anything that goes out the door whether it be a movie, television show, animated short, or comic.

What television shows would you like to see Feige help create with Marvel Television? Share your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things MCU!

Photo by Dan MacMedan and Steven Ferdman/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images