Summary
Ever since 2008,Marvel Studioshas been dominating the superhero genre with the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Creating long-term stories that build upon each other with lots of crossover potential is something that had never been seen on this scale before, but it’s something that managed to work perfectly and has led to some huge blockbusters.
However, asMarvel Studiosstarts reaching the 20-year anniversary of the MCU, the time for change is upon them. With certain actors moving on from their roles or key characters being killed off, the inevitable talk of recasts has begun, which will provide Kevin Feige and his team with their biggest challenge to date.
Kevin Feige Has Confirmed Recasts Will Happen
Marvel Studios has undergone numerous changes sinceAvengers: Endgame, and this trend is expected to continue as actors depart the franchise.Whether it’s a decision they make for their careers or because the storyline brings their time to an end, as seen with Black Widow and Iron Man, a wind of change is coming for the franchise. That’s something thatMarvel Studios President Kevin Feigepublicly admitted during a recent press conference. He admitted that they will have to recast certain characters in the future, with Captain America and Iron Man being mentioned as examples. It’s something that fans have often wondered about, but now that it has been publicly addressed, it has prompted everyone to realize that Marvel is facing a significant challenge in the immediate future.
While Marvel has recast a few characters, they haven’t had to do it withsignificant roles such as Iron Man, who has been the most important in the franchise. It provides a test for the creative team to come up with reasons why that will happen and how it will ultimately fit into the broader MCU in a manner that makes sense and aligns with the rest of the storylines unfolding. This will be particularly interesting given that the MCU is one long-running story, making this a unique situation.
Marvel Studios Historically Struggles To Let Go Of Its Big Stars
Robert Downey Jr. Is About To Return To The MCU
Historically, Marvel Studios has struggled to move on from actors who have played a significant role in the franchise.Whether it’s teasing the deaths of characters like Loki and Phil Coulson only to bring them back, or simply having them return in other roles, Marvel tends to rely on people with whom audiences are familiar.Marvel killed off Black Widow and then gave her a standalone movie, Chris Evans left the franchise and returned in Deadpool & Wolverine, while Robert Downey Jr. is also set to make his MCU comeback inthe upcomingAvengers: Doomsday. While there have been characters who have been recast, such as Red Skull, War Machine, and The Hulk, this will be a completely different task. Taking lead roles that have been the faces of the entire franchise is going to provide a real test, and if Marvel Studios gets it wrong, then the results could be devastating.
The MCU Timeline Makes Recasting Very Difficult
Marvel Studios Might Have To Completely Restart The Timeline For This To Work
The reason this will be such a challenging feat for Marvel Studios is that their approach to creating movies differs significantly from what DC Studios has typically done. Over the years, fans have seen numerous actors portray Batman and Superman, but that’s because these characters often remain confined to their own worlds and tell a specific story. While that might be achieved over multiple films likeChristopher Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy, that version of Batman doesn’t exist in a wider timeline, which means it’s simple to just put a new actor into the role and start it from scratch with a new angle. Marvel Studios doesn’t have that luxury. While the major characters have their stand-alone films, such as the Iron Man trilogy, those stories impact the wider MCU, and Iron Man as a character plays a massive role within multiple movies. He’s a character who is publicly known within that timeline as Tony Stark, who made his identity public knowledge. That means every character that appears on Earth in the MCU is aware of him being Iron Man, which means just putting someone else into the suit and starting the story fresh isn’t an option, as it wouldn’t make sense within the timeline.
There’s a possibility that Marvel Studios will have to completely restart the MCU, perhaps with a whole host of new characters to make this work.While they can have other people step into a role, such as how Sam Wilson became Captain America, that won’t be possible for everyone.It’s going to be impossible for a new actor to just become Thor due tothe family dynamics of the characterand the fact that his powers aren’t just transferable. It’s a significant problem that Marvel Studios will have to overcome, as they will eventually run out of their biggest characters, a situation they won’t want to deal with. So, while it will mount a serious challenge forMarvel Studios, it is a necessary one that they must deal with.
