Arad and Kevin Feige were well aware of the limitations of the layering approach. They tried to exert their influence over Marvel movies, but not having the final say rankled them, even on projects where they respected their collaborators. “We suggested but they didn’t listen,” Feige said years later, diplomatically declining to call out any of the superhero flops of that era by name or to criticize any of the specific studio executives for their misunderstanding of Marvel’s characters. “We didn’t have the control. I hated that.”
