Times are changing atMarvel Studiosand last week that meant getting rid of longtime chairman Isaac Perlmutter, whose disagreements with Disney CEO Bob Iger and MCU mastermind Kevin Feige finally got him fired after years of unrest between the parties.
It’s not as if Perlmutter is heading outMarvel’sdoor quietly though, as his dismissal has prompted the executive to give out a few statements where he outlines the key battling points that allegedly saw him go to war with Feige and Iger. “Ike” Perlmutter became a controversial figure for Marvel in 2015 when leaked emails revealed he had no interest in pursuing female-led blockbusters, claiming these types of superhero movies did not sell before ultimately being proven wrong byCaptain Marvel.
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Nevertheless, in a new interview withThe Wall Street Journal, the usually reserved Perlmutter said he held no doubts, his “termination was based on fundamental differences in business between my thinking and Disney leadership”, namely, how much money is spent on MCU productions. In that sense, Perlmutter decried other Marvel executives because “All they talk about is box office,” whereas he’s always been a man that looks at the bottom line and really cares “about return on investment.”
That narrative would certainly seem to line up with the reported motives for Perlmutter’s first demotion in the Marvel ranks, as in 2015 arguments over the production costs forDoctor Strangewere what drove Iger to ensure Feige would only report directly to Disney from that moment. Morton Handel, another former Marvel executive backed the claim that “Ike’s a penny-pincher,” and that description definitely fits Perlmutter’s stance thatMCU movies were getting too long and expensiveto make.
While cost-effectiveness has been pushed to the forefront of Iger’s second coming to Disney, Perlmutter’s downfall began years ago as his approach to finances was the least controversial aspect surrounding a man that also pushed back against movies likeBlack Panther, one of Marvel’s most successful films ever accounting for ROI. The boardroom scuffle’s between Perlmutter and Disney heads are nothing new, as Iger recently recounted how the ousted chairman attempted acoup against him and tried to get Feige firedat some point.
As the interview shows, Perlmutter won’t be completely gone as he owns just over 1% of Disney’s stock, so this is likely not the last time Marvel will hear from him. Regardless of that, new reports indicate that the MCU is getting back on track as its 2022 films managed to make a lot of money, andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3looks to eraseAnt-Man 3’sbad aftertaste.
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