Damon Lindelof: Marvel Should Make Fewer Movies So “Each One Can Be A Bit More Special”

In a new interview, writer-director Damon Lindeolf (Watchmen, Lost) says that although he loyally watches every Marvel movie, he thinks there are too many of them.

“From a slightly sort of more cynical standpoint, [filmmaking] is a business,” Lindeolf said during an appearance on Vulture’s “Into It” podcast. “It’s an industry. And if you make a couple of great Marvel movies, the instinct is ‘We need to make more Marvel movies, and we need to expand this.’ I have this interior feeling of like, ‘Wow, I wish they made less because it would make each one that came out a little bit more special.'”

Added Lindeolf, “People don’t want things to end. I do.”

And, of course, Marvel’s output isn’t showing any sign of slowing down anytime soon. This year, after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will hit theaters in November. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law will come to Disney+ on August 18, and will become the third Marvel series of the year, to be followed by the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

At Comic-Con last month, Marvel also announced plans for Phases 5 and 6, which will take the MCU’s current known plans through to the end of 2025.

In the Vulture podcast interview, Lindeolf spoke at greater length about endings in his own work, including the divisive conclusions to Lost and The Leftovers. He also talked about why he pitched HBO’s Watchmen as a standalone single season.