Bob Iger says he kept Marvel mastermind Kevin Feige from being terminated in 2015

We may need to get Bob Iger a cape because he might have singlehandedly saved the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How? It’s come to light that Iger kept Marvel Chair Isaac Perlmutter from firing Kevin Feige in 2015. What would the MCU look like without Feige to devise its roadmap to success and make the calls that transformed the initiative into an ongoing billion-dollar moneymaker? Why is this coming up in conversation? Let’s dive into the details.

This morning, Nelson Peltz of Train Group walked away from an ongoing battle with Disney for a seat on the board. Peltz said Disney’s recently-announced restructuring is concerning, and he’s weary of the studio’s management and plans moving forward. Peltz’s mission to secure a position on the board began in 2022 under Bob Chapek’s guidance, with Perlmutter supporting the bid.

Per an SEC filing, as part of the embattled bid, Disney cited meetings and calls beginning in the summer of 2022 between Peltz and Chapek, CFO Christine McCarthy, directors Amy Chang and Safra Catz, General Counsel Horatio Gutierrez, and Iger. Perlmutter encouraged the calls and propped Peltz up as someone who could get things done at the studio.

“Peltz, or Isaac Perlmutter (an employee and shareholders of Disney who currently serves as Chairman of Marvel Entertainment) on Peltz’s behalf, asked for a Board seat or suggested he should be added to the Board no less than 20 times since July 2022,” Disney said in the filing.

What about Feige? I’m getting to that part.

In an interview with CNBC, Iger said Peltz was less than pleased about losing oversight of Marvel’s movie division. Being the head of Marvel is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after positions. The job requires tremendous foresight into comic book trends and public interest. You must be willing to shape the future to stand a chance against superhero movie fatigue and toxic online echo chambers. I wouldn’t want the job. No, thank you.

“Our filings indicate that both Ike and Nelson were working together to try to encourage the board or convince the board to put Nelson on the board. They have a relationship that dates back quite some time. We bought Marvel in 2009. I promised Ike the job that he would continue to run Marvel after that. Not forever, necessarily. But after that. And in 2015 he was intent on firing Kevin Feige who was running Marvel’s studio, the movie making [operation] at the time, and I thought that was a mistake and stepped in to prevent that from happening. I think Kevin is an incredibly, incredibly talented executive that you know, the Marvel track record speaks for itself. And so I moved the moviemaking operation of Marvel out from under Ike into the movie studio under Alan Horn,” Iger explained while hanging Disney’s dirty laundry on a line for all to see.

When asked if his pulling rank created a stir among the group, Iger admitted there’s animosity in the air, even if he feels it was a sound decision. “You’d have to ask Ike about that. But let’s put it this way. He was not happy about it. And I think that unhappiness exists today. And you know, what the link is between that and Nelson, his relationship. I think that’s something that you can speculate about. I won’t.”

Mmm, I smell bait. While Iger is reluctant to talk more about the situation, many of us can all appreciate him pushing to keep Feige at the front of the pack. Feige is doing a bang-up job at Marvel Studios, delivering one hit after another. Mileage varies from project to project. Still, when it comes to building a cohesive universe of films and television shows, Feige is a madder genius than Reed Richards.