Disney CEO: Marvel Chairman Ike Perlmutter Tried To Fire Kevin Feige

Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed that Ike Perlmutter tried to get Kevin Feige fired from Marvel back in 2015, around the time Avengers: Age of Ultron was first released in theaters. Iger dropped the stunning revelation during an interview with CNBC, which happened after Disney’s Q1 earnings call.

“We bought Marvel in 2009,” Iger told CNBC. “I promised Ike the job that he would continue to run Marvel after that. Not forever, necessarily. In 2015, he was intent on firing Kevin Feige, who was running Marvel Studios, the movie-making 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. I moved the moviemaking operation of Marvel out from under Ike into the movie studio under Alan Horn.”

The Disney CEO believes that Ike Perlmutter is still bitter over the fact that Kevin Feige wasn’t let-go from Marvel: “Let’s put it this way. He was not happy about it. And I think that unhappiness exists today.”

The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Kevin Feige has been instrumental to the success to the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since its inception with 2008’s Iron Man. The MCU has earned more than $28.283 billion under the watchful eye of Feige, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Feige became the Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment in October 2019, following the release of Avengers: Endgame. The producer hasn’t been reporting to Ike Perlmutter for almost eight years now.

This year, Marvel is preparing to release Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels. The company is also working on a slew of live-action and animated projects for the Disney Plus streaming service.

Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!