Kevin Feige Responds to Criticism About the MCU’s Seemingly-Abandoned Cameos

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is many things — sprawling, ambitious, occasionally chaotic — but closure has never been its strong suit. From dangling plot threads to surprise cameos that vanish into the multiverse ether, Phase 5 in particular has racked up its fair share of ghost characters. Remember Charlize Theron’s Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Or Harry Styles’ Eros, who popped up in Eternals and then disappeared faster than a Ravager in a wormhole? If you’ve been waiting for those storylines to pay off… you might want to get comfortable. Speaking during a recent roundtable for Fantastic Four, attended by Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige addressed the elephant in the room — namely, the long list of character introductions that seem to go nowhere.

“There are plans for some and there are opportunities for all. It’s about finding what the right moment is. Some, maybe we’ll never see again. Some, maybe we’ll see soon. For some, maybe it’ll be like Tim Blake Nelson, and it will take 17 years.”

What Will Happen to Marvel’s Cameo Stars?

The reference to Tim Blake Nelson is no exaggeration. Nelson first played Samuel Sterns — who would eventually become The Leader — all the way back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Seventeen years later, he finally returned to the role in Captain America: Brave New World, marking one of the longest payoffs in the MCU’s history. But not everyone will get that kind of comeback. Feige was candid about the realities behind those buzzy post-credit scenes.

“Who knows? What I love about it is as much about the actors as it is about the characters. It’s as much about our enthusiasm and excitement to work with those actors, which is how almost all those came about – but we will not alter a storyline just to include them simply because they have been seen in the past.”

So no, don’t expect Brett Goldstein to headline Avengers: Doomsday just because Hercules had one stylish close-up. And Charlize Theron’s Clea might be on ice until Doctor Strange’s next dimensional disaster — or never at all. Marvel’s shifting strategy is no secret. After a tumultuous Phase 4 and a mixed bag in Phase 5, Feige and his team are in course-correction mode. The studio is re-focusing on tighter storytelling, fewer projects per year, and fewer throwaway cameos — even if it means leaving some very famous faces hanging.

Fantastic Four: First Steps hits cinemas on July 25. Stay tuned at Collider for more.