Post Avengers: Endgame, Kevin Feige committed to more projects than he has ever been in the MCU. In addition to developing theatrical films. he also had to develop MCU shows that told their own story but later tied into the overall universe. Among the new heroes that the studio established in Phase 4 was Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan.
The Captain Marvel superfan charmed audiences who were appreciative of the nuanced exploration of the Pakistani-Muslim superhero. However, bringing the superhero into the MCU also meant some sacrifice had to be made as Feige was revealed to be behind controversial the death of Kamala Khan in a recent comic run.
Kevin Feige Had a Hand in Kamala Khan’s Recent Controversial Comics Death
Comic readers were subjected to one of the most awkward and controversial deaths in comics in recent years in 2023’s The Amazing Spider-Man #26. In it, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel was killed by Rabin while trying to protect Mary Jane (via Screenrant). The death came out of left field and many fans felt that it was an unnecessary one that undermined the character.
It seems that there was a reason behind this controversial fate of the character. Marvel comics writer Cody Ziglar recently revealed that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige made the call and requested The Amazing Spider-Man writer Zeb Wells to make the death happen. Feige wanted it so that they could do something new with Iman Vellani‘s Ms. Marvel in the MCU. Ziglar said on the Amazing Spider-Talk,
“It was funny watching when the whole Kamala stuff was going down. [The Amazing Spider-Man writer Zeb Wells] had told me months before the plan, which was, Feige was like, ‘Hey, I don’t do this very often but, can you please do this to make things in line with Marvel because we have some stuff we want to do with Kamala,’ so [Wells] was like, ‘F***, I’m the guy that drew the short straw? People are going to be very mad that I have to kill Ms. Marvel.’”
The MCU changed Ms. Marvel’s identity as an Inhuman to a mutant in the MCU with the Ms. Marvel show and this may be one of the major reasons why Feige wanted to kill her off in the comics. This type of corporate decision is understandable as Marvel Studios has become a big brand now and Feige doesn’t want other mediums to create any inauthenticity to what he is doing in the MCU.
Kevin Feige Likens Captain America 4 to Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Anthony Mackie will return as Captain America next year in Captain America: Brave New World and the film will deal with Sam Wilson dealing with the burden of taking on such a huge mantle. Kevin Feige and Mackie presented the first look and footage from the film at CinemaCon recently. Feige compared the film to one of the studio’s most beloved entries Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Feige stated that similar to the second Captain America film, Captain America: Brave New World will be a grounded political thriller. He also promised that there would be big stakes and a great on-screen turn from Mackie as the new Captain America in his first solo feature. Feige said (via YouTube),
“Almost 10 years ago, we released a movie called Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the 10 years that have gone by… it has stayed with the fans, and I think it’s for two reasons. One, it’s the genre, it is a fast-paced political thriller, it’s got big stakes, but no aliens…it is a relatively grounded action film…that is what we are doing this coming February, it is a film that’s another fast-paced relatively grounded action thriller… Captain America: Brave New World”
In addition to Mackie, the film will also star Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, Shira Haas, Harrison Ford, and Liv Tyler. It will be the 35th MCU film and will be a part of Phase 5 of the MCU.
Captain America: Brave New World will hit theaters on February 14, 2025
