Credit: Marvel StudiosThese actors won’t accept Marvel slander.
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The sequel to the successful Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Captain Marvel (2018), titled The Marvels (2023) or Captain Marvel 2, was directed by Nia DaCosta. As part of Marvel Studios’ Phase Five, the film experienced multiple reschedules, ultimately leading to its delayed release on November 10, 2023.
Despite the initial Captain Marvel film generating significant attention and surpassing a billion dollars at the box office, its follow-up failed to recapture that same appeal. Now, a star from The Marvels is speaking out to support what Robert Downey Jr. is saying about being snubbed for Marvel work.
In The Marvels, the focal point of the narrative revolves around Brie Larson reprising her role as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. The plot unfolds when she inadvertently swaps positions with Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who happens to be the daughter of Carol’s late best friend, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch). Furthermore, young Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), a character introduced in her own Disney+ (Disney Plus) series, Ms. Marvel (2022), becomes an integral part of the storyline. Together, they unite to thwart the ambitions of their adversary, Dar-Benn, portrayed by Zawe Ashton.
Related: Brie Larson’s ‘Captain Marvel 2’ Surprises, Gets Positive Fan Reaction for “Saving MCU”
Captain Marvel Sequel, The Marvels
The Marvels introduced Park Seo-Joon as Prince Yan, the ruler of the planet Aladna and a significant ally to Danvers, fueling speculation about a potential romantic connection. Samuel L. Jackson portrayed Nick Fury, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., collaborating with the Skrulls at S.A.B.E.R. in deep space after the events of Secret Invasion (2023). Additionally, Zenobia Shroff (Muneeba Khan), Mohan Kapur (Yusuf Khan), and Saagar Shaikh (Aamir Khan) reprised their roles as members of Khan’s family from the Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel.
The rest of the cast comprised Lashana Lynch in the role of Maria Rambeau, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, Daniel Ings as Ty-Rone, Colin Stoneley as Papp-Tonn, a Kree scientist, and Gary Lewis as Emperor Dro’ge, the Skrull leader. The ensemble also included Shamier Anderson, Abraham Popoola, Ffion Jolly, Caroline Simonnet, and Jessica Zhou in unspecified roles. Even Goose, Carol’s Flerken pet, returned, portrayed by cats Nemo and Tango.
Zenobia Shroff, who plays Ms. Marvel’s feisty mother, Muneeba Khan, in The Marvels, agrees with Robert Downey Jr.’s comments that their work gets overlooked — simply because it’s Marvel.
The initial post from X (formerly Twitter) user Amelia Emberwing quoted Variety‘s article featuring RDJ’s original comments, that Marvel acting is frequently overlooked due to its genre.
Amelia Emberwing: And he’s right. People acted like his performance in Oppenheimer was a huge upgrade from what we’d gotten from him for the last decade, but it wasn’t. He was great in Oppenheimer. He was great in the MCU.
Folks are just snobs.Variety: Robert Downey Jr. says his Iron Man performance in Marvel movies is some of his greatest acting work. “I think I did some of the best work I will ever do, but it went a little bit unnoticed because of the genre.” variety.com/2024/film/news
And he's right. People acted like his performance in Oppenheimer was a huge upgrade from what we'd gotten from him for the last decade, but it wasn't. He was great in Oppenheimer. He was great in the MCU.
Folks are just snobs. https://t.co/EzoiKxPJYy
— Amelia Emberwing 🔪💋 (@ThatWitchMia) January 12, 2024
Marvel actress Shroff seemed to agree with the fan and Robert Downey Jr.’s original statements, with Shroff stating that “he is right” in defending Marvel, and the work they do for the superhero genre:
He is right. It may be marvel but we still put our best foot forward and bring the best of our craft to the set . And we’re not recognized for it because of the genre. It’s crazy
He is right. It may be marvel but we still put our best foot forward and bring the best of our craft to the set . And we’re not recognized for it because of the genre. It’s crazy https://t.co/OCw6YnTiSw
— zenobia shroff (@ZenobiaShroff) January 13, 2024
Clearly, there’s an amount of frustration with the frequent disparaging of the work these actors do with Marvel Studios.
Do you think the acting and work done with Marvel is also worthy of praise? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!