No wonder Isabella was dumbfounded.
In her memory, every single achievement Kevin Feige had was tied to Marvel.
When a man has fused himself with Marvel so completely that they're basically inseparable, and then he casually says he wants to make a DC movie?
OMG—
To Isabella's ears, that hit as hard as someone saying that in this world, Ray Kroc, father of McDonald's, embraced Harland Sanders of KFC back in 1954!
That's a magnitude-18 earthquake!
So…
"What the hell is going on?"
"What kind of butterfly effect did I create this time?"
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Isabella struggled to wrap her head around Kevin Feige's behavior.
Columbus and Vivian were just as confused. Even though they didn't have Isabella's past-life knowledge, Feige's current behavior made zero sense to them too.
After exchanging glances…
Columbus spoke first.
"Uh… Mr. Feige, may I call you Kevin?"
"Of course."
"Okay, Kevin, pardon my bluntness, but I don't think any of us understood what you meant."
Columbus picked up the business card attached to Feige's calling card and said, "According to this… you're the assistant to the CEO of Marvel Comics, and the lead producer at Marvel Studios. So…"
"Can you repeat what you just said?"
"You said you came here today to discuss what exactly?"
"Discuss the sequel to Batman Begins?"
"You want to join the production of Batman?"
Columbus stared at Feige like he was reading ancient scripture, looking painfully constipated.
Even though he had seen plenty of crazy things over the decades, this… he definitely hadn't seen before.
"Director Columbus, I understand you must all be confused right now," Feige said with a smile. "But yes, you heard correctly."
Then he continued earnestly:
"I'd like to explain it briefly, but it's tied to a longer story. So—if you'll allow me to share it? Though it might take a bit of your time."
Kevin Feige made a hand gesture that would make Korean men emotionally collapse twenty years later.
Columbus glanced at Isabella. Seeing her nod, he finally said, "No problem. You work for Director Donner, so naturally you deserve this time. Please—go ahead."
"Okay, thank you. The story relates to me personally."
Once given permission, Kevin Feige cleared his throat and began:
"I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in New Jersey. Since New Jersey is very close to New York, I grew up loving comics."
"I liked both Marvel and DC."
"My family worked in the film industry, so ever since I was little, I wanted to work in film and TV. I specifically chose USC for college, and after watching Spielberg's Jurassic Park, I wanted to adapt the comics I loved onto the big screen—because I thought that would be incredibly cool."
"And when I graduated, I used family connections to get into Donner Productions, working for Mr. and Mrs. Donner."
"Uh… let me interrupt for a moment…" Vivian raised her hand. "Kevin—with your family background, couldn't you have directly joined a large studio? I mean a major one."
"So why didn't you go to Fox? They had X-Men."
"Or Sony, with Spider-Man?"
"Why Donner Productions of all places?"
"As far as I know, that studio didn't even own any comic-related IP, right?"
"And you just said you wanted to bring comics to the big screen?"
"Oh—Mrs. Haywood—excellent question."
Feige lifted his brows, gesturing animatedly.
"Because at the time, Donner Productions had a long-term production deal… with Warner Bros. And I wanted to use that deal… to make DC movies."
Yes.
Kevin Feige was actually an omnivore.
Marvel or DC, he liked them both.
Back then, the one he most wanted to work for… was DC.
The reason was simple:
DC owned all its character rights, while Marvel's were all scattered.
That logic makes sense, right?
Only vast IP can support a wild, universe-spanning crossover.
"Then why did you end up going to Marvel afterward?" Columbus asked, intrigued.
Feige spread his hands helplessly. "Because… can I badmouth Warner while working on their set?"
"This is Chris's set," Isabella said, pointing at the director to reassure him.
At that, Columbus's enthusiastic gossiping face instantly drooped like a sad puppy.
Feige nodded with a grin, "Okay, so here's what happened, Director Columbus, Miss Haywood. I realized Warner had a deeply rooted bureaucratic culture. DC had no self-determination in its development. So even though they owned all the IP, the company had no future…"
His first project after entering the industry under Donner was Volcano, that disaster movie with Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche.
The movie flopped: 90 million invested, only 122 million at the box office. But the production process felt smooth to him, and Fox, the investor, didn't scold them too much in the end. Because Rupert Murdoch liked Richard Donner, of course.
When the big boss of the conglomerate doesn't care whether a project fails, who below would dare complain?
Right?
But when Feige worked on You've Got Mail… things changed.
This was a Warner project. Feige had hoped to use it to build ties with Warner. But before he could even try, he witnessed Warner's ugly side… or rather, the harsh reality.
During production, Warner basically said:
"This movie must succeed. Failure is not an option."
If it failed, they would cancel all future collaborations with Donner Productions.
Because the previous two collaborations with Donner had tanked.
One was Conspiracy Theory, starring Mel Gibson. Budget 80 million, box office 137 million. A total flop.
The other was Free Willy 3. Family movie, but weak DVD sales.
Warner's warning was originally fair enough, since Hollywood is brutal. No matter how famous you are… after enough failures, the industry will abandon you.
Someone like the sunglasses-wearing director? Would never survive in that ecosystem.
If he tried to act high and mighty with investors, they'd chop him into mince.
But during their warning, Warner said something that really bothered Feige:
"I might be remembering wrong, but during project discussions, Warner's people said they wouldn't raise any losers. Even their own. And they used DC as an example."
"They said after DC's two huge flops in 1997, they mercilessly terminated ALL future plans. No matter how good those plans were, they refused to move forward."
"That decisiveness made me never want to join DC again."
"Because no one can guarantee 100 percent success."
"If an entire plan can be discarded over one failure… then…"
"That company has no success gene."
"So I shifted my focus to Marvel. It just so happened that Fox wanted to make X-Men."
Columbus burst into laughter. He had to admit—Kevin's instinct was spot on.
When internal power struggles get fierce, even if executives know a project has potential, they still demand eternal victory.
Just like Harry Potter.
One failure… and if they don't immediately pivot… the second failure means their heads will roll.
That pressure…
Is terrifying.
Isabella wiggled her legs under the table, impressed.
Even after living two lifetimes, she never knew Kevin Feige had this kind of history with DC.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was this:
Now that he said he originally hadn't chosen Marvel…
Isabella finally understood why he approached her today…
saying he wanted to make DC movies.
If he can embrace everything, does it even matter which he chooses?
Right?
And about that…
"Okay, Kevin, your story's been quite the journey," Vivian said. "Seems like you've had it rough."
"Oh, thank you Mrs. Haywood, thank you for your understanding. But I have to say… my life's actually been alright."
Feige smiled, "My family was never short on money, so I could live comfortably."
"That's good," Vivian nodded. "Since you knew years ago DC wasn't the best choice and actively went to Marvel—why now tell us you want to make DC movies?"
"Because… my idea is a bit crazy. A bit ambitious. And Marvel can't sustain my vision anymore. So I had to look back to DC."
Feige pointed at his bag, ready to open it.
Columbus nodded for him to proceed.
Feige then pulled out several thick documents and handed them to the three.
After a quick skim…
Isabella narrowed her eyes.
Because inside the documents were plans for three universes: X-Men, Spider-Verse, and Avengers.
And each one had its estimated Phase One budget.
The Spider-Verse was highest: nearly 1.2 billion.
X-Men was slightly less: about 1 billion.
The Avengers was cheapest: if done frugally, around 800 million.
But the Avengers was also the hardest, since its characters were nowhere near as popular as Spider-Man or the X-Men.
"Quite ambitious."
After finishing the documents, Columbus spoke up:
"So, Kevin… when you say Marvel movies can't continue, you mean the first two plans can't move forward, and the Avengers plan has low odds of success, with the IP scattered all over?"
"Yes," Feige nodded. "That's part of it."
"The other reason is that I learned Miss Haywood now holds a very high position at Warner. And when Miss Haywood can influence Warner's chairman, Barry Meyer, I believe that as long as I can convince—"
He looked at Isabella, stretching his words as though unsure how to address her.
After a few seconds, he settled for a neutral tone and continued:
"Miss Haywood, I personally believe that if I can win you over, then I stand a chance to create a DC cinematic universe like Spider-Man, X-Men, or The Avengers. So that's why I came today."
"This is my proposal…"
"My proposal for Batman Begins."
Feige handed out another set of files.
When Isabella opened hers…
She kind of wanted to laugh.
Not because she was making fun of Kevin Feige.
But because—
…Well.
It was something else entirely.
It was because his DC cinematic universe plan was actually pretty interesting. The contents were as follows:
After seeing DC use Batman Begins to introduce the Joker, Kevin Feige felt that a Joker vs. Batman showdown could serve as the origin of everything. The Joker is the core of the Injustice League, and Batman is the core of the Justice League. Once the two key figures of the major DC factions appear, the DC universe can unfold steadily.
So, at the end of Batman II, DC could introduce the Joker's origin through Batman interrogating him.
Use one movie to tell the Joker's entire story.
Then, at the end of the Joker solo movie, the scene could cut back to Arkham Asylum.
Meaning, to the ending of Batman II, where Batman has already locked the Joker in Arkham.
The Joker tries to break out, and that's when Catwoman appears. She's there for a jailbreak.
They don't know each other, so the Joker asks Catwoman why she's there to save him.
Catwoman says she's just a mercenary, hired for a job.
The Joker asks who gave the order.
Catwoman says it was Lex Luthor.
Smack—
That name is the end of the post-credit scene in Joker.
To be honest, that little scene alone has no beginning and no end.
But if you place it on Kevin Feige's timeline and look at everything from a god's-eye view, then it makes sense.
Because on Feige's timeline, between Batman I and Batman II, there's a Superman movie. And between Batman II and Batman III, there's another Superman movie. The Joker movie is positioned as Joker's personal flashback and runs parallel to Batman III on the timeline.
Then, in Feige's design, Superman I is Superman's origin story.
It's about how Clark Kent came from Krypton to Earth and grew into a "god."
This story is not connected to any other plot.
Superman II borrows from issue four of the Man of Steel comics.
Superman's appearance in Metropolis draws the attention of Metropolis' king, Lex Luthor.
He wants to hire Superman to work for him, but Superman refuses.
So Lex Luthor decides to destroy Superman. Sadly, his plan fails in the end.
At the post-credit scene of Superman II, the defeated Lex Luthor flees Metropolis like a stray dog. Feeling humiliated by Superman, he starts plotting revenge.
Then he starts using the power of money, recruiting allies.
During this process, Catwoman, who was already under his employment, is sent to Gotham to find the Joker.
Because of how the Joker toyed with Batman, Lex Luthor believes the Joker might be able to outwit Superman…
Once all this is set, Batman III officially begins.
Catwoman arrives in Gotham as a morally ambiguous mercenary.
While "rescuing" the Joker, she also helps Batman defeat the final boss.
The post-credit scene of Batman III connects to the post-credit scene of Joker.
After learning that someone wants to hire them to face an enemy even stronger than Batman, the Joker becomes intrigued. He asks Catwoman who the enemy is, and when they'll strike. Catwoman says they'll act once the team is complete. Joker asks who else is involved. Catwoman says: Black Manta, Aquaman's nemesis; Reverse-Flash, Flash's nemesis; and Cheetah, Wonder Woman's nemesis.
That's right.
Superman is too strong.
So Lex Luthor wants to gather as much strength as possible before challenging him.
And the appearance of these villains means Aquaman, Flash, and Wonder Woman all get their own solo films.
Their origin stories would be released before Superman III.
Then Superman III would be called Superman vs. the Loser League… cough, no, the Injustice League!
Once the Injustice League is defeated, the first phase of the DC cinematic universe would reach its finale.
Because the final battle is Batman vs. Superman.
The battle between Superman and the Injustice League leaves Metropolis severely damaged.
This makes Bruce Wayne believe Superman can't be trusted.
He believes Superman's power must be restrained.
So he joins forces with Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash to fight Superman.
And of course, during this time, a new enemy will emerge.
Here to pick the fruit…
"Kevin… this idea of yours… kinda insane…"
After skimming through Feige's concept, Columbus burst into laughter.
"In your design, Superman is always fighting alone, so…"
"You think the hardest character in DC to handle is Superman, right?"
"Yup." Feige nodded with a big grin. "Superman's too strong. Strong enough to beat everyone by himself. So before a cosmic-level threat appears, on Earth at least, he must not team up."
"We have to isolate him from any group and let a swarm of heroes and villains try to deal with him. That's how we show his true strength. Otherwise…"
"People will think the movie is boring."
"Okay, okay, good idea," Columbus said, pushing his glasses. "Kevin, I think you… made the right decision seven or eight years ago."
"If you brought this plan to Warner, you probably wouldn't even get through the front door."
"Barry Meyer would never agree to such a crazy plan. Remember, in the same year Batman & Robin failed, he even killed The Lord of the Rings."
"Three movies total, and he didn't even want to make them!"
"And you want Batman to have a trilogy? Superman to have two films? Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Joker, and Catwoman each get one? And after the Injustice League loses, we get Batman vs. Superman?"
"This pacing is too slow! Barry Meyer would call you insane!"
"Of course, I'm not saying your plan is bad. I know it can be optimized. You laid it out this thoroughly just to show us how well you understand DC, right?"
"Exactly," Feige nodded, pointing at the documents in everyone's hands. "This is basically my job application."
"I have to show you how well I know DC, otherwise how could I transfer from Marvel to DC?"
That kind of job-hunting tactic made Columbus laugh.
Vivian shook her head with a smile.
And Isabella shut her file, narrowed her eyes, arms crossed, staring at him.
Although Feige's logic made sense at least to Isabella, there was still a lingering doubt in Isa's mind:
"Kevin, can I ask you a few more questions?"
"Sure."
"You came here to win me over so you can join DC?"
"Well… strictly speaking, I hope you'll like my DC universe plan and invest in me."
"Let's not fuss about wording. You mean the same thing, right?"
"You could say that."
"Good. Then I want to know: why do you think you couldn't use your Avengers plan to win me over instead?"
Isabella leaned back, watching Feige with a scrutinizing look.
Smiling slightly, she laid out her doubts one by one:
"First, you should know I've already said in public that I like Marvel and want to make Iron Man. So, looking from your perspective, shouldn't you use the Avengers plan to win me over?"
"Second, if you think the Avengers plan doesn't work because its character rights are scattered, wouldn't your first reaction be to encourage me to buy those rights back?"
"I believe you wouldn't think something like buying rights would be difficult for me."
"And even if you think the Avengers budget is too high for me to handle alone, and that's why you gave up on that idea, wouldn't your best move still be to coax me into finding investors?"
"Even if Warner wouldn't invest in Marvel, what about Disney?"
"You're in the industry. You should know my relationship with Robert Iger, right?"
"We can discuss billion-dollar projects in one phone call."
"When Disney has always held The Voice, a billion-dollar project for me is just knocking on their boardroom door, telling them I want to make it, and done."
"So… Kevin. Are you really here to talk DC with us today?"
At that point, Isabella shut her mouth.
Columbus and Vivian chuckled.
Feige raised his eyebrows and sighed.
Everyone here was smart, and it was obvious that it would be far easier for Feige to entice Isabella into embracing Marvel than DC. To put it bluntly, it's about willingness.
Since Isabella was already interested in Marvel, wouldn't going with that be the most sensible option?
So…
Feige's logic had a problem!
And this…
"Okay, Miss Haywood, your reasoning makes sense." Feige surrendered.
"So are you willing to tell us your real intention now?" Vivian asked with a smile.
"Uh… I can…" Feige thought for two seconds, then nodded. "My real intention is that I want to embrace DC. And the real reason is… you can't make the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
"What?" Columbus closed the file.
Even though neither Marvel nor DC really involved him personally, as an ally he wanted to know what Feige meant.
"Why?" he asked, frowning.
"Because…"
Feige took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply. "Because the Marvel rights held by Lionsgate will soon be in the hands of Carl Icahn, and Carl Icahn will sell them to Ted Turner and Steve Case."
"?????"
The sudden revelation stunned all three of them!
Feige smiled and spoke calmly: "Is that reason good enough?"
Exactly.
The main purpose of Feige's visit today was to choose his camp.
Yes.
He didn't want to get caught in the war of capital.
But at this point, he had no choice.
Without backing capital, his dream could never come true.
So…
Why not side with the winner?
As someone inside the industry, could he not know that Ted Turner and Steve Case had already lost once?
As someone inside the industry, could he not know that Rupert Murdoch once pulled a move that hurt no one except himself?
As someone inside the industry…
His grandfather once told him something.
To succeed, choice is even more important than effort.
His grandfather only got to produce a hit show because he chose the right people to follow.
Richard Parsons, the most powerful man at Time Warner, only made it because he held on to Rockefeller's leg.
Disney's CEO Robert Iger can fight everyone only because his boss is Warren Buffett.
Indeed, success needs hard work, but if you choose the wrong side, aren't you just banging your head against a wall?
Feige didn't want to bang his head on anything.
So…
He chose to work with Isabella.
Not because he looked down on Ted Turner or Steve Case.
But because he wasn't a Marvel purist.
If Isabella liked Marvel and could easily get DC as well…
Then clinging to her meant he could do whatever he wanted.
If he wanted to make the Marvel universe today, he'd make Marvel.
Tomorrow, he could make DC.
Someday, maybe Thor could fight Superman. Justice League vs. Avengers.
Nothing wrong with that logic, right?
So…
"Kevin Feige, can you guarantee what you just said is true?"
Even as he smiled, Columbus' tone grew cold.
"Absolutely," Feige nodded gently.
"Good. Do you have time? Can you stay with the crew for a few days?" Columbus tapped the table with his finger.
"No problem," Feige nodded again. "I'm free anyway."