Marvel Studios chief donates $500,000 to his old NJ high school

WESTFIELD — Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who graduated from Westfield High School in 1991, has donated $500,000 to his alma mater.

The windfall is to help revamp the television studio that helped shape Feige's professional future, according to Schools Superintendent Dr. Margaret Dolan.

Dolan announced the generous donation on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Board of Education meeting.

“Earlier this year, as we finalized plans for a complete overhaul of the TV studio, we reached out to Kevin in March to ask whether he would be willing to contribute to the cost of the studio renovation project,” Dolan said in a statement to New Jersey 101.5.

“What followed was several telephone conversations with Kevin’s staff and, ultimately, with Kevin himself who took great interest in the plans for the new TV studio.”

Feige returned to his old stomping grounds when he delivered the commencement address to the Westfield High School Class of 2013.

At that time, Dolan said, he toured his high school alma mater, and mentioned that the television studio, "in which he had spent many hours during his high school years, looked essentially the same."

Feige's donation will be used specifically for audio/video equipment in the TV studio, Dolan said.

Other improvements include a soundproof production space with studio cameras on pedestals equipped with tele-prompters and tally lights, an updated lighting grid, new editing workstations, and a professional control room.

The renovation is expected to be completed in the next several months.

Feige has been the president of Marvel Studios since 2007, leading the franchise to a number of box office records.

This past summer, Avengers: Endgame became the "first film ever to top $1 billion in its opening, (before adjusting for inflation)," as reported by The Washington Post.