When new Survivor fans are figuring out which seasons to watch first, they are looking at the past of Jeff Probst’s beloved reality show. That makes a lot of sense since there are so many fascinating facts about Survivor’s past, including that some former players refused to return and about the show’s medical evacuations. On top of that, it is fun to look at Survivor’s past and debate who the best winners are, how to rank every season, and who the best players ever are.

Despite all the reasons to look at Survivor’s past, the show’s future is also fun to consider. For example, looking at the upcoming season, Survivor 49, it is amazing to learn that it has a unique connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A Survivor 49 Competitor Was One Of The Architects Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Over the last couple of years, fans have watched as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has built connections to movies from outside the franchise. After Disney bought Fox and regained the film rights to the X-Men, the MCU dramatically expanded.

When Deadpool & Wolverine was released, the MCU became linked to a slew of different Marvel movies that previously weren’t part of the timeline. For example, the MCU is now linked to the X-Men franchise, the Blade movies, the past Fantastic Four movies, Daredevil, and Elektra. In fact, the MCU is even linked to a Gambit movie that was never produced.

In the coming months, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will also have a bond of sorts with the reality show Survivor. That is because Survivor 49 will feature a player who had an important role in the production of many MCU movies.

In May 2025, a Variety article focused on the incredible career of Survivor 49 competitor Nate Moore was published.

That article revealed that Nate began working for Marvel Studios in an important role in 2010. For context, when Nate began working for the studio, the Marvel Cinematic Universe consisted of only three movies, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man 2.

Ultimately, Nate became so respected by the team behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe that he earned an impressive title. Nate rose to the point that he was named Marvel Studios’ Executive Vice President of Production and Development.

Variety’s article also revealed that Nate took on a hands-on role at Marvel Studios that allowed him to help steer the course of several important projects.

According to Variety’s article, Nate took on a direct role in the MCU’s Captain America and Black Panther projects.

On IMDb, Nate is credited with producing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Captain America: Brave New World, and The Falcon and the Winer Soldier. Additionally, Nate is credited with producing Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

On top of Nate’s work on the Black Panther and Captain America projects, he also helped bring other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies into existence.

Nate’s IMDb page reveals that he also produced one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most forgettable movies, Eternals.

Variety’s article about Nate also revealed that he played a role in one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved movies. According to the outlet, Nate helped develop the script for Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a movie that seems like it is almost universally beloved.

Clearly, Nate has been able to influence a slew of movies that were very successful and had a huge impact on viewers.

Nate Moore Recently Quit His Marvel Studios Job

Of course, going from being a major movie producer to competing on Survivor is a pretty huge change. But, as it turns out, Nate Moore also recently reinvented his career by leaving Marvel Studios in a somewhat shocking move.

After Nate went to work for Marvel Studios in the year 2010, he continued to work there for 14 years. Then, a December 2024 Variety article revealed that Nate was leaving Marvel Studios. According to the article, Nate decided to leave Marvel Studios so that he could produce independent films.

However, Variety’s article revealed that Nate would still produce one upcoming Marvel Studios project, Black Panther 3.

Clearly highly respected by the team at Marvel Studios, Variety’s article about Nate’s departure quoted a statement released by two pivotal figures. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and co-president Louis D’Esposito released a joint statement praising Nate and expressing excitement about what he will do next.

“Nate is a fantastic executive and colleague as well as a wonderful friend to all of us here at Marvel Studios. He has been a core member of our team since 2010, and his influence will continue to reverberate in our storytelling. Although we’ll miss him a great deal, we look forward to watching what he does next while also having the good fortune of working with him in a new way on our next ‘Black Panther’ movie.”

It will be interesting to see if Nate will also be able to similarly earn the respect and affection of his Survivor tribemates.