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Credit: Marvel StudiosUnder the leadership of President Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios has shaped the widely acclaimed Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for more than a decade, ultimately culminating in Marvel Entertainment’s acquisition by The Walt Disney Company for a remarkable $4 billion. A crucial milestone in this narrative occurred with the debut of the iconic character Tony Stark, brought to life by Robert Downey Jr., in the 2008 blockbuster film Iron Man, which set the tone for the franchise as a whole.
Related: Disney Scraps Marvel Show About Tony Stark’s Replacement, Reports Say
The debut of The Avengers in 2012 cemented the original six Avengers as contemporary legends. The original six Avengers — Tony Stark/Iron Man, Thor Odinson, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Incredible Hulk/Smart Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), more or less exited the franchise with the conclusion of the first three Phases of the MCU.
The expansive MCU narrative, named the Infinity Saga, concluded in Phase Three with the unforgettable movies Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), helmed by the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe Russo (no, they’re not coming back to Marvel). With Chris Evans relinquishing the role of Steve Rogers and passing on the Captain America mantle, and Iron Man making the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good, the Marvel universe now opens its doors to welcome new heroes.
Related: Report: Marvel Removes ‘She-Hulk’ Series From MCU, Surrenders to Anti-Woke Mob
The Marvel Cinematic Universe so far has paved the way for prominent superhero teams such as the Fantastic Four and X-Men to take center stage and play more substantial roles. Progress is already underway with new initiatives like the Nick Fury-led Secret Invasion (2023) featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Loki Season 2 (2023), and most recent The Marvels (2023) starring Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau.
However, there are more projects and changes in the pipeline before the highly-anticipated Avengers 5 and Avengers 6, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, respectively.
Marvel’s Major Avengers Recast
Recently, known Hollywood insider MyTimeToShineHello shared during an X (formerly Twitter) Ask Me Anything (AMA) session about the recasting of several main Avengers team members from the first lot of beloved MCU films.
Replying to Luke Flux, the inside source said:
Luke Flux: What’s it looking like in regards to Secret Wars soft-rebooting the MCU? Can we expect to see new actors playing Tony, Steve and Natasha post-Secret Wars so we’ll finally be getting those characters in the same universe as the X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc.?
MyTimeToShineHello: Yes to all of it
Yes to all of it
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) December 2, 2023
This news comes in the wake of Disney and Marvel Studios’ much-reported internal reshuffling of projects — and even externally reported incidents of in-progress shows being scrapped altogether. Reports even surfaced of Disney acting in ways that could be seen as catering to the “anti-woke mob” as of late.
With Disney and Marvel hanging on such a crucial precipice, it’s vital that the company retain the goodwill and continued interest of members of the public, especially in the face of shifting consumer trends and “superhero fatigue”.
News of these roles being recast entirely in a whole new time continuum could either inject a breath of fresh air and revitalize the Marvel Cinematic Universe — or it could further alienate existing Marvel fans and the existing Avengers fandom. Only time will tell, for now.
What do you think of Disney reportedly recasting these major Avengers roles? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!