Disney CEO Bob Iger Reveals The Marvel Movie He’s Most Proud Of

Black Panther Poster

Bob Iger has been the CEO of The Walt Disney Company since 2005. In the nearly 15 years he's held the job Disney has become an absolute powerhouse, especially in the area of motion pictures. Under Iger's leadership we've seen the growth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the return of Star Wars, and incredibly successful live-action and animated films like Frozen and the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels.

Of all the films Disney has produced during his tenure. Bob Iger says the one he's most proud of is actually a very recent movie, Marvel Studios' Black Panther.

There may be no product we’ve ever created that I’m more proud of than Black Panther.

It's maybe not the most surprising answer to get from Bob Iger, but a lot of the reason he may feel this way is because Iger himself largely championed the production. Apparently, there were some at Marvel Studios, though reportedly not Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who weren't sold on Black Panther at first. There was a feeling that movies with Black actors didn't do well internationally. Iger fought this notion, so being proved right may have helped this movie be a special one for him.

Bob Iger also says that seeing the reaction to the movie at its World Premiere was a very special experience. It was one thing for Iger himself to believe the movie was great. It was something else to see the audience actually embrace it. Bob Iger reveals this in his new memoir Ride of a Lifetime (via Comicbook.com).

And audiences certainly did embrace it. We heard stories about organizations buying out theaters so that young children could see the first POC superhero in the MCU on the big screen. The movie was an event for a lot of people. Seeing themselves represented as part of the biggest entertainment franchise in the world was important.

There’s a lot to be proud of when it comes to Black Panther. The movie made $700 million domestically and nearly as much internationally. It made more money at the domestic box office than even Avengers: Infinity War.

On top of the film’s commercial success, it was praised by critics almost universally. It was also nominated for seven Academy Awards, and walked away with three of them earlier this year, the most successful night at the Oscars for a comic book movie ever.

Bob Iger will remain the CEO of the Walt Disney Company until 2021, at which time the man has already said he plans to step down. Perhaps there will be another movie in the next two years that will make him even prouder than Black Panther, but that seems like a pretty high bar to clear.

The forthcoming sequel to Black Panther won't be hitting theaters until after Iger has left Disney, but he'll likely still have a lot of input in the movie it becomes.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.