“That moment, Feige later recalls, was when he started thinking that he could build a series of interrelated movies, the cinematic equivalent of what comics nerds call “continuity.” He wanted [to] do something that only comic book villains ever think they can get away with: build a universe.”

Marvel would prefer that you pay no attention to the executive behind the curtain. Adam Rogers pulls that curtain back just a little bit, profiling the man responsible for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also examined: who, if anyone, at Warner Brothers or DC could play the part of canonical visionary across their franchises.