In 2018, Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe — i.e. its series of interconnected films based on Marvel characters — began to head in a more female-focused direction.
Disney initially sought out the purchase of brands like Star Wars (via Lucasfilm) and Marvel to add more male audiences to its already strong hold on the female market (thanks to the company’s many animated and Disney princess properties).
However, internal and external pressure from progressive activists pushed the company to make its newly bought predominantly male-marketed properties more “diverse” and female-friendly.
This all culminated in Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige’s 2018 interview with Screen Rant, where he revealed “more than half” of the MCU’s superheroes would “soon” be “female.” Over the next six years, Disney lived up to that promise.
The MCU became the “M-She-U.”
Every new show and movie introduced super-powered female heroes. Even in properties starring male heroes, more often than not the most heroic moments were saved for the newly-introduced female characters.
Yet, the more female-centric Marvel movies and TV shows grew, the smaller their audiences became. Since 2019, the studio has failed to maintain the consistent box office success it was once known for. This all culminated in 2023 with “The Marvels.” The film was arguably the MCU’s most female-centric property — and undoubtedly its biggest financial failure.
Based on the brand’s deteriorating financial state, it could be surmised that turning the “boy brand” that is Marvel into a “girl brand” was a mistake. True as that may be, based on a new insider report, it appears that the company has failed to learn that lesson.
Is Disney ruining its Marvel properties?
According to Hollywood insider Daniel “DanielRPK” Richtman’s Patreon, the MCU’s upcoming reboot of the X-Men franchise will reportedly be more “female-focused.”
X-MEN NEWS ❌
– Marvel Studios is looking for a writer who can expertly balance comedy and drama.
– Focus on the female characters.
– They want to introduce new characters, ones that haven’t been in live-action before, alongside the main ones we all know.
(Source: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/9nAkHllrxW
— MCU Film News (@MCUFilmNews) April 29, 2024
Back before Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019, the company didn’t quite have access to several Marvel properties that had been licensed to the latter studio, namely characters connected to the X-Men and Fantastic Four.
Since that purchase, however, Disney-Marvel has been gearing up to introduce the mutant-powered superhero team to its MCU.
Though, as with many other post-2018 MCU flicks, Richtman maintains that the film will focus on the team’s female heroes.
In both the Disney Plus series “Ms. Marvel” and the aforementioned 2023 “The Marvels” film, the MCU has already set up the potential inclusion of at least two female heroes.
Now, it is true that the comic book property boasts perhaps some of Marvel’s most popular female heroes.
Those include heroes such as Storm, Rogue and Jean Grey.
However, what is indisputable is that the team’s most popular character — Wolverine — is a man. In addition, two other characters, the team’s founder and the character most often portrayed as its leader — Professor X and Cyclops respectively — are also men.
Launching a new series of X-Men movies without any of these characters at its core would be an odd choice. But, as Marvel’s recent track record showcases, the studio likely doesn’t care.
