Marvel is Panicking, Looking To Bring Back the Old Avengers

During a recent company retreat, Marvel Studios executives addressed the numerous issues plaguing the MCU. And one of their many solutions is to bring back the original Avengers.

The Avengers during the Battle of New York looking up toward the sky — Credit: Marvel Studios

For a long time, Marvel Studios has been on top of the box office, raking in billions of dollars every year with high-budget, action-packed films. For a long time, it felt like you had to see one of these movies so you could fully understand the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

One of the major reasons for this was the core cast of superheroes. While there were dozens of heroes anyone could relate to, the true popularity lay in the core six of the Avengers: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye.

Tony Stark before he kills himself reversing the snap, Black Widow before she sacrifices herself — Credit: Marvel Studios

Combined, all four Avengers movies made over $7.7 billion, making it the second highest-grossing superhero franchise of all time, behind Spider-Man. However, the most successful film, Avengers: Endgame (2019), came at a cost: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Robert Downey Jr. While the latter two characters sacrificed themselves for the greater good, Captain America went back in time to live a fulfilling life away from war.

Now, the core six were reduced to three, and they were scattered across several different shows and properties. And even though Marvel Studios had plenty of characters to pick up the slack, things took a turn for the worse.

Superhero Movies Have Had a Rough Year

Ant-Man and the Wasp MODOK smiling in a yellow swirl — Credit: Marvel Studios

Looking back on 2023, it’s hard to think of a year worse for superhero movies and shows. While there have been some bonafide classics, like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), everything else has failed commercially, critically, or both.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) failed to meet expectations, becoming the worst-reviewed MCU movie yet. Arguably worse was Secret Invasion (2023), a limited series that received even worse reviews. And based on previews and expectations for The Marvels (2023), that doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon.

superman nicolas cage The Flash — Credit: DC Studios

Marvel isn’t the only company hit by this. DC Studios has also suffered extensive losses. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) became one of the biggest box office bombs of all time until The Flash (2023) came in and was somehow even less successful. And while Blue Beetle (2023) was critically well-received, it barely made back its budget.

Needless to say, 2023 has been rough for superheroes, and that’s not even getting into the whole Jonathan Majors situation. Marvel executives know that if they want to bounce back, they need to make some significant changes. And one of their solutions is to snap their fingers and bring some beloved characters back from the dead.

Marvel Studios Wants to Revive the Old Avengers

Black Widow in her traditional three-point pose — Credit: Marvel Studios

According to a report from Variety, Marvel Studios executives recently went on a retreat to figure out solutions regarding all the issues plaguing the current MCU. While most of their discussions focused on Jonathan Majors, another topic of conversation was about the grand scheme of things.

Marvel has suffered from superhero fatigue, meaning they put out way too much content and oversaturated the market. If they wanted to get audiences back on board, they’d need to do something drastic. One of the ideas floated by executives was bringing back the original Avengers, specifically Iron Man and Black Widow.

Tony Stark sitting next to his Iron Man suit on a couch in a basement — Credit: Marvel Studios

Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson are big names, having starred in multiple blockbusters and each earned multiple Academy Award nominations. On top of that, their characters are some of the most beloved in the entire MCU. That being said, it would cost a ton of money to bring them back: Downey Jr. was paid $25 million to star in Iron Man 3 (2013).

While this is undoubtedly an exciting prospect, it would take more than catering to nostalgia to solve Marvel’s woes. The major issues all lie behind the scenes, mainly overworking their employees and expecting to eat up more products that aren’t as good. It will be cool to see Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff return, but focusing on this would distract from the real problems plaguing the greatest superhero franchise of all time.

Do you think Marvel Studios should bring Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff back to life? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!