Marvel Boss Kevin Feige Calls ‘Shang-Chi’ “Experiment” Comments: “A Misunderstanding”

As Marvel‘s big names gathered to celebrate the premiere of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in Hollywood last night (August 16), there was still tension in the air around star Simu Liu and Disney CEO Bob Chapek‘s recent sparring surrounding the film’s release. But as with any big Marvel fight, one voice attempted to quell the misunderstanding. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige addressed the elephant in the room at the premiere, talking about those controversial “experiment” comments and Liu’s stinger of a reaction.

“He is not a shy man,” Feige said of Liu at the premiere, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I think in that particular tweet you can see and I think everyone does, a misunderstanding. It was not the intention. The proof is in the movie and we swing for the fences as we always do. With the amount of creative energy we put in and the budget, there’s no expense spared to bring this origin story to the screen.”

The disagreement stems from Chapek’s comments at last Thursday’s (August 12) Disney Q3 earnings call. When pressed about moving Shang-Chi to a streaming release via Disney+ Premier Access, Chapek stated that “due to last-minute changes, it just wouldn’t be possible” — although, the release would allow the company to test out the 45-day window.

“On Shang-Chi, we actually think it’s going to be an interesting experiment for us, because it’s got only a 45-day window for us,” Chapek said. “The prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the service after going theatrical for 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles.”

But Liu took issue with the idea of his tentpole film being labeled an “experiment.” In a tweet penned Saturday (August 14) morning, Liu slammed Chapek’s comment.

“We are not an experiment,” Liu began. “We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.”

Amidst this Liu controversy, Marvel is also embroiled in a big-time battle with another one of their A-list stars. Black Widow‘s Scarlett Johansson has filed a major lawsuit against Walt Disney Co. for the breach of contract surrounding her MCU film’s streaming release, which she claims lost her over $50 million in earnings at the box office. Feige, speaking vaguely about the situation last night, said he’s “all for amicable solutions.”

Amidst the rising Delta variant, Shang-Chi will still debut exclusively in-theaters on September 3.