The Marvel Cinematic Universe is reaching an interesting point in its evolution following the release of The Avengers: Infinity War. This story arc of the MCU is nearly complete, and Captain Marvel is set to take over as the leader of the group soon.
But one thing Marvel Studios hasn’t had to deal with, at least lately, is an actor deciding to walk away from their role before their story is finished. Studio head Kevin Feige did hint that Marvel wouldn’t be completely lost if push came to shove, though.
According to Digital Spy, Feige was asked what the studio would do if an actor decided they were done with a role. It’s been hinted by some actors that their future in the MCU might be in doubt, but thus far no one has said they were through before their character was essentially killed off on screen.
Feige didn’t address directly what would happen, but he did give a nod to the source material for everything Marvel Studios does: comic books.
“That’s what we can look to in the comics,” he said. “And that’s why these characters are so relevant. I talk about 10 years of movies, but it’s 50-plus years of comics.”
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“And they’re just as relevant and popular,” he explained. “And that’s because they do get updated. They do change with the times. I have no doubt that all of our actors, who are in peak physical shape, have got another 50 years in them to be heroes.”
In the comic book world, of course, characters carry on the mantle of a superhero despite being completely different people. So while fans may have grown used to seeing Iron Man or Thor portrayed by a certain actor, the message is clear: the characters can exist well beyond the actors currently playing them.
“In terms of the specifics of how we will evolve the characters, thankfully I don’t have to really think about it yet,” he added. “‘Cause we’re still finishing what we started here with Avengers: Infinity War.”
That last bit might be a nod to the sentiment that actors might be done after a fifth Avengers film, but it’s hard to really say. With how successful Marvel movies have been as the Universe has expanded, though, it certainly makes sense that they’d find some creative solutions to cast changes if it ever came to that. Financially, it would be worth their while.
(via Digital Spy)
