Marvel Studios Head Explains Why Some Characters Debut on Disney+ and Others in Movies

For the past 12 years, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken place on the big screen, introducing audiences to their new favorite superheroes. This Friday, the biggest franchise on the planet is making the move to TV with the debut of WandaVision, the first of many small screen projects planned for the Disney+ streaming service. Now, going forward, Marvel and Kevin Feige will have both film and TV mediums at their disposal, each of which can introduce new heroes, or continue the stories of the ones that debuted in the theatrical films.

WandaVision, for example, is a series about characters who have long been part of the big screen MCU. The same goes for Loki and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But other projects, like Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk, will act as the launching point for new heroes that will then make the leap to the films. How does Marvel decide which characters will get which treatment? According to Feige, the process is different for each and every character. No two cases are the same.

"It really is about the individual stories you want to tell and a bit informed by the bigger picture," Feige told Collider ahead of WandaVision's premiere. "We knew that we wanted to introduce Ms. Marvel first and her family and all of her great supporting characters and her origin in a Disney+ long-form series, and then bring her into Captain Marvel 2. There will be some times where the opposite happens. The character is introduced in a movie and brought onto a Disney+ series. So, it really just varies based on the story or the genre that we want to explore."

Going forward, the films and TV shows will work hand-in-hand as they continue the overall narrative of the MCU. Some characters will appear on the big screen and then head to TV in order to have their stories fleshed out a little bit more. Others will get an entire season of story on Disney+ before popping up in the next Marvel team-up movie. Every journey is going to be different, just like every hero is different.

Even in specific projects, you'll have characters on very different journeys in and out of the MCU. Vision, Scarlet Witch, Darcy Lewis, and Jimmy Woo all first appeared on the big screen before showing up in WandaVision. Teyonah Parris' take on Monica Rambeau, however, will be heading from the show to the Captain Marvel sequel.

Are you looking forward to what Marvel has in store with its horde of TV shows currently in development? Let us know in the comments!