'Infinity War' caps a decade of success for Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige talks about his job like a fan who's just lucky to be there.

This image released by Disney shows Chadwick Boseman, center, in a scene from Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Infinity War." (Marvel Studios via AP)

To hear his genuine enthusiasm about the movies, the actors, the audience and the stories almost belies the fact that he is essentially the architect of and driving force behind Hollywood's most valuable brand that has in just over 10 years netted over $14.8 billion in worldwide grosses (according to comScore) and become the envy of every studio executive in town.

He's a mogul with a fanboy's verve who has helped to change the very fabric of the entertainment industry.

Ten years ago, many moviegoers didn't know who Iron Man was, and those who did thought of him as a minor comic book character. On Thursday, Marvel Studios' 19th film, "Avengers: Infinity War," an epic mashup of characters once considered to be part of the "superhero B-list," from Iron Man to Star Lord, opens in theaters worldwide. It is cruising for a record-breaking debut that could surpass "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" as the biggest opening ever.

This image released by Marvel Studios shows, from left, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Bautista, Chris Pratt and Pom Klementieff in a scene from "Avengers: Infinity War." (Marvel Studios via AP)

The scope of the Marvel effect is somewhat difficult to pin down, especially with a force as formidable as The Walt Disney Co. behind it. (Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in 2009.)

It's revitalized careers (Robert Downey Jr.), minted movie stars (Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and Chris Pratt, to name a few), and become an outpost for Oscar-winners too (like Robert Redford, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas and Cate Blanchett).

And beyond that, every few months the studio seems to be breaking new ground, whether it's as small as a change in tone, like "Thor: Ragnarok," or as big as producing a downright cultural phenomenon, such as "Black Panther," now the third highest-grossing domestic film of all time.

Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at the world premiere of "Avengers: Infinity War" on Monday, April 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

"We dream big at Marvel Studios. We have very lofty aspirations at Marvel Studios. For those dreams to be surpassed is saying something," Feige, 44, said of "Black Panther's" success.

And it shows no sign of slowing down, or running out of story. They have 70 years of comic book source material to draw on, after all.

"There are still things that are key elements to a lot of our characters in their comic incarnations that we haven't even done yet for characters who have had three or four movies," Feige said. "It is an amazing wealth of creative material to pull from."

Chadwick Boseman arrives at the world premiere of "Avengers: Infinity War" on Monday, April 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Feige is amused when reporters try to predict Marvel's next move, or make big conclusions based on what's just happened. Under Feige, Marvel is not looking in the rear-view mirror.

When "Thor: Ragnarok" came out, he remembers reading articles declaring that, "Marvel is committing to a surrealist, silly tone" and just laughed.

"I thought, 'We have 'Black Panther' coming out in three months! They don't even know what's coming,'" Feige said. "We're always thinking ahead. Just when people think they can pin us down, we go somewhere else and that's going to happen again after 'Infinity War' in the build-up to the next Avengers film. And we had meetings earlier today about 2024 and 2025."

Scarlett Johansson arrives at the world premiere of "Avengers: Infinity War" on Monday, April 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Misunderstanding Feige's vision is almost a tradition at this point, going back to Comic-Con in 2006 where he revealed his plans for the first few films —Iron Man, Ant-Man and The Incredible Hulk — and all anyone wrote about is how Marvel Studios didn't have the rights to Spider-Man (Sony does), the X-Men or the Fantastic Four (those reside at 20th Century Fox).

Now, few would argue that Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy and even Doctor Strange and Ant-Man aren't veritable A-listers on their own, and even more powerful together, making up what is perhaps Marvel's greatest innovation — the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This idea of an interconnected, ever-expanding "universe" of characters and films is something that many have since tried to copy to varying degrees of success. It seems audiences don't begrudge Marvel for creating the concept, but are somewhat more skeptical of those trying to capitalize on it.

"(Marvel's) approach doesn't seem nearly as cynical as when you see another studio trying to do it with, say, Ghostbusters or DC," said Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Fritz, who delves into Marvel's history in the book "The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies." ''People are like, 'Oh I know what you're doing, you're trying to copy Marvel.' But Marvel did it first and Marvel has still done it best."

Letitia Wright arrives at the world premiere of "Avengers: Infinity War" on Monday, April 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

"Sequel fatigue" doesn't even seem to apply to Marvel films anymore.

"I think you can look at Marvel as a grand narrative experiment," said 'Infinity War' co-director Joe Russo. "Never before in films have we seen this many franchises combined over this many years into one giant mosaic. Two-hour, two-dimensional storytelling has dominated American culture for 100 years and now we're consuming content with such extreme speed that we need new forms of storytelling. I think what Marvel is doing is a new form of storytelling."

"Infinity War" co-screenwriter Stephen McFeely, who also co-wrote the three Captain America films, said Feige should get the film academy's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for his impact on the industry.

Robert Downey Jr. arrives at the world premiere of "Avengers: Infinity War" on Monday, April 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

"He's clearly changed the way Hollywood works, or at least the top box office end of it," McFeely said. "It's in part because Kevin has a really good mind for story — he's ambitious — but he's not so ambitious that he's not going to do the right thing for the movie in front of his face."

While navel-gazing isn't Feige's favorite activity, the 10-year anniversary of "Iron Man" hitting theaters has provided an excuse to reflect a bit. He still remembers the early days, when they had everything to prove and felt grateful for the chance to produce films on their own. While the grand plans and concurrent filmmaking have gotten more complex over the years and "the days have gotten longer," Feige said the fundamental processes for how they make films goes back to the beginning.

"It was in the cutting rooms of 'Iron Man 1' that in a lot of ways the Marvel Studios process was born — of just keep trying things and keep turning things over and don't rest on your laurels and just because something is working doesn't mean it can't work better," Feige said.

This image released by Disney shows Chris Evans in a scene from Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Infinity War." (Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios via AP)

Audiences won't have to wait too long for another Avengers, either. The fourth Avengers film, also directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and written by McFeely and Christopher Markus is just around the corner, set for a May 2019 release. It's a continuation of the story that begins in "Infinity War," where a still-fractured Avengers face Thanos (Josh Brolin). Little is being revealed beyond that. The film premiered Monday night in Los Angeles and is said to be full of surprises.

"We make movies we believe in. We make movies that we think will be entertaining to ourselves and think about ourselves as the first audience members for any movie we make. Any idea that comes up in a room: Would we be entertained by this? Would we be moved by this? Would we be surprised by this?" Feige said.

"It goes back to the movies I loved growing up. I always loved sequels. I never found myself being cynical or dismissive of sequels. If they were bad, I was disappointed. But I always loved the promise of seeing the further storylines or further adventures of characters I'd grown to love. That's all we're doing."

NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Jonathan Majors has been ordered to complete a yearlong counseling program but avoided jail time Monday for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a high-profile case that derailed the once-promising star’s career.

The 34-year-old star of “Creed III” and other films had faced up to a year behind bars after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault by a Manhattan jury in December.

In court Monday, Judge Michael Gaffey sentenced Majors to conditional discharge after noting that both sides in the case agreed the charges did not warrant jail time, given the actor was a first time offender with no prior criminal record.

He said Majors must complete a 52-week, in-person batterer’s intervention program in Los Angeles, where the actor lives. He also has to continue with the mental health therapy his lawyers say he's been participating in. Majors faces a year in jail if found in violation of the terms, which also included a no contact order with his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.

Majors, dressed in all black and accompanied by his girlfriend, actor Meagan Good, declined to address the court and left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.

His lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, said the actor did not want to make any public statement that Jabbari could use against him in the civil suit she’s filed against the actor.

Majors, she added, is “committed to growing as a person” and will complete any court-mandated programs “with an open heart” even as he maintains his innocence and plans to appeal.

“He’s lost his whole career,” Chaudhry said in court. “This has been the most challenging year of his life.”

But Jabbari, fighting back tears as she addressed the court, said Majors refuses to acknowledge his guilt and remains a danger to those around him.

“He’s not sorry. He has not accepted responsibility, ” she said. “He will do this again and he will hurt other women. He believes he is above the law.”

Jabbari said Majors had made her believe the two were in a loving relationship, but, in reality, he isolated her from the rest of the world and cut her off from family and friends.

“I was so emotionally dependent on him,” she said. “I became a different person around him — small, scared and vulnerable.”

Rather than acknowledge his actions, Majors has been openly critical of the court proceedings, launching a "high-powered PR campaign” that included a nationally televised interview, added Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galloway as she argued for a sentence of violence counseling for Majors.

Following the December guilty verdict, Majors was immediately dropped by Marvel Studios, which had cast him as Kang the Conqueror, a role envisioned as the main villain in the entertainment empire’s movies and television shows for years to come.

The conviction stemmed from an altercation last March in which Jabbari accused him of attacking her in the backseat of a chauffeured car, saying he hit her head with his open hand, twisted her arm behind her back and squeezed her middle finger until it fractured.

Majors claimed the 31-year-old British dancer was the aggressor, flying into a jealous rage after reading a text message from another woman on his phone. He maintained he was only trying to regain his phone and get away from Jabbari safely.

Majors had hoped his two-week criminal trial would vindicate him. In a television interview shortly after his conviction, he said he deserves a second chance.

But the California native and Yale University graduate still faces Jabbari's civil suit, which she filed last month in Manhattan federal court. In the suit, Jabbari accuses Majors of assault, battery, defamation and inflicting emotional distress, claiming he subjected her to escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse during their relationship. The two met in 2021 on the set of Marvel's “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” in which Majors played Kang.

Majors’ lawyers have declined to respond to the claims, saying only that they are preparing to file counterclaims against Jabbari.

The actor had his breakthrough role in 2019’s “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” He also starred in the HBO horror series “Lovecraft Country,” which earned him an Emmy nomination, and as the nemesis to fictional boxing champ Adonis Creed in the blockbuster “Creed III.”

As for Marvel, a looming question remains whether the studio will recast the role of Kang or pivot in a new direction.

Majors’ departure was among a recent series of high-profile setbacks for the vaunted superhero factory, which has earned an unprecedented $30 billion worldwide from 33 films.

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Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good arrive at Criminal Court on Monday, April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Priya Chaudhry, Jonathan Majors lawyer, leaves Criminal Court after Majors' sentencing in Manhattan on Monday April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Actor Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good arrive at Criminal Court on Monday, April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Actor Jonathan Majors leaves Criminal Court with his girlfriend Megan Good after his sentencing on Monday April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Actor Jonathan Majors shakes hands with court police officers after leaving Criminal Court after his sentencing on Monday April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Actor Jonathan Majors shakes hands with court police officers after leaving Criminal Court after his sentencing on Monday April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Actor Jonathan Majors shakes hands with court police officers after leaving Criminal Court after his sentencing on Monday, April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Priya Chaudhry, Jonathan Majors lawyer, leaves Criminal Court after Majors' sentencing on Monday April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Actor Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good arrive at Criminal Court on Monday, April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Actor Jonathan Majors leaves Criminal Court with his girlfriend Megan Good after his sentencing in Manhattan on Monday April 8, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

FILE - Jonathan Majors leaves a courtroom in New York, Dec. 18, 2023. Majors is scheduled to be sentenced Monday, April 8, 2024 in a New York court after he was convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file)