Why Kevin Feige Nearly Walked Away From Marvel Over Robert Downey Jr’s Civil War Role

If you ever wondered how close Marvel came to losing Kevin Feige mid-MCU, the answer is: dangerously close. The flashpoint was Captain America: Civil War, and yes, Robert Downey Jr. was at the center of it.

The Civil War behind 'Civil War'

Civil War was sold as Cap 3, but it played like a mini-Avengers. Big cast, big action, big price tag. The Russo brothers were clearly showing they could juggle an ensemble, and the budget reflected that.

That did not fly with then-Marvel Entertainment boss Ike Perlmutter and his Marvel Creative Committee (the MCC), a group notorious for nitpicking costs and second-guessing creative. The plot pitted Steve Rogers against Tony Stark, and Downey reportedly pushed for more to do, which made sense for the story. It also meant a huge paycheck, backend points, and a bonus if the movie beat the last Captain America film. Perlmutter hated that math and, in a move that still sounds wild, ordered writers to cut Downey out entirely.

Feige fought to keep Iron Man in. When Perlmutter and the MCC pushed for even deeper budget cuts, Feige finally drew a line in the sand and threatened to walk.

How Feige stayed (and why the MCC didn’t)

Feige had the track record, and Disney noticed. According to Bleeding Cool, Disney CEO Bob Iger was already unhappy after Avengers: Age of Ultron — a billion-dollar hit that still underdelivered on both the critical and financial expectations inside the studio. The sense was that Perlmutter and the MCC’s meddling didn’t help.

Iger responded with a corporate shakeup that moved Marvel Studios out from under Perlmutter. From that point on, Feige didn’t report to Perlmutter or the MCC. The committee was dissolved soon after. And Downey stayed in Civil War, obviously.

This wasn’t Feige’s first standoff

During Captain America: The First Avenger, the MCC pushed to ditch the 1940s setting and make it contemporary, assuming audiences wouldn’t go for a period superhero movie. Feige insisted on a World War II story, and according to Dave Gonzales and Joanna Robinson’s book 'MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios', there were full-on shouting matches before Feige’s version won.

The broader Perlmutter problem, in one place

• Terrence Howard out, Don Cheadle in: Per Vanity Fair, Perlmutter rejected Howard’s raise request and, during the switch, allegedly said:

  "all Black people look the same"

  That’s the quote reported — and it’s as bad as it sounds.
• Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man exit: Hired in 2006, Wright spent years developing Ant-Man. The MCC kept pushing for more MCU tie-ins, then brought in an in-house writer to rewrite him. Wright bailed when the trust broke, as recounted in 'MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios'.
• Blocking women on screen: Per the same book, Perlmutter fought against female heroes and villains, even trying (and failing) to keep Black Widow out of the original Avengers. He also slowed the rollout of other women in the MCU.
• Iron Man 3 villain swap: Rebecca Hall was signed to be the film’s main villain; the MCC forced Shane Black to change it, reportedly to move more toys.
• Hela, delayed: The character was initially eyed as the villain for Thor: The Dark World before plans shifted and she eventually arrived in Thor: Ragnarok.

Why this matters

Feige keeping Downey in Civil War wasn’t just about one actor’s screen time. It locked in the emotional spine of the movie, justified the 'Avengers-but-not-really' scope, and kept Marvel on the path that led to the Russos handling Infinity War and Endgame. The behind-the-scenes tug-of-war over budgets and control shaped what ended up on screen, for better and sometimes very much worse.

What do you make of Feige nearly quitting over Civil War? Drop your thoughts below.

Captain America: Civil War — along with a lot of Marvel’s catalog — is streaming on Disney+ right now.