The Marvel intellectual property has performed below expectations during the last few years. Bob Iger stated publicly what most Marvel fans already knew about the powerful media franchise’s recent lack of success.

Disney CEO Bob Iger cited Marvel Studios’ massive increase in content output as a key reason for falling interest in Marvel media productions. He said, speaking to CNBC’s David Faber, that the studio’s output increase for Disney+ serves as one reason for some disappointments as of late.

Iger admitted in this interview that the Marvel Studios adjusted the audience’s expectations. This changing of expectation in terms of the amount of content and when it would be released on Disney+ hindered the expansion of the Marvel brand. He said that offering so much streaming content worked against the brand. He stated this led to disappointments like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”

Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”

That film did not break $500 million worldwide despite being intended to take fans into the next major step in a Marvel movie phase. Other Marvel projects have not yet lived up to expectations, either.

“There have been some disappointments we would have liked some of our more recent releases to perform better,” Iger said. “It’s reflective not as a problem from a personnel perspective, but I think in our in our zeal to basically grow our content significantly to serve mostly our streaming offerings, we ended up taxing our people way beyond — in terms of their time and their focus — way beyond where they had been.”

Bob Iger Speaks About Marvel

“Marvel’s a great example of that,” Iger added. “They had not been in the TV business at any significant level. Not only did they increase their movie output, but they ended up making a number of television series, and frankly, it diluted focus and attention. That is, I think, more of the cause than anything.”

Previously Iger said about the lack of success with “Quantumania,” that “newness” needed to be something the Marvel Cinematic Universe re-strengthen. He said sequels typically worked well for Marvel. However, he questions if every character needs a third or fourth movie.

“There’s nothing in any way inherently off in terms of the Marvel brand,” Iger added at the time. “I think we just have to look at what characters and stories we’re mining, and you look at the trajectory of Marvel over the next five years, you’ll see a lot of newness. We’re going to turn back to the Avengers franchise, but with a whole different set of Avengers.”

Now, some Marvel fans also feel that cost-cutting and other poor choices led to Marvel’s current downturn. Of course, a bad year for Marvel makes a good year for some movie franchises. However, following up on the Infinity Saga proved to be a tall task.

Iger did not give any direct examples of solutions to the Marvel issue. Yet, we know that Marvel productions have been slowed for practical reasons over the writers strike and corporate decisions. Only time will tell about the future of Marvel.