Kevin Feige has been behind the scenes at Marvel since one of the first superhero films from the company. After Blade launched the Marvel movies into a commercially viable territory, X-Men followed two years later. Feige was featured as an associate producer on the X-Men film, after producers Richard and Lauren Shuler Donner utilized his knowledge of Marvel comics. Avi Arad, another powerful producer whose name is attached to Blade and every single Spider-Man film among other Marvel movies, took a liking to Feige and brought him on board at Marvel Studios. Not long after, Feige was named the president, and the rest is history.
Feige has spent the last decade constructing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As reported by Variety, his efforts building the most lucrative franchise since Star Wars has earned him the first-ever Marty & Leah Sklar Creative Visionary Award. “The Ryman Arts Board established the Marty & Leah Sklar Creative Visionary Award to honor Marty’s memory and to celebrate the legacy of two amazing founders of our organization,” said Phil Hettema, Ryman Arts Board president, in a statement. “We are thrilled that the first recipient of the award, Kevin Feige, embodies the aspiration of the award so completely. Kevin has reimagined an entire universe of storytelling and introduced us to thrilling new worlds through his creative leadership and vision.”