Whether you are a Marvel fan or not, you have to admit the superhero franchise has a huge impact on pop culture, especially since its expansion to more television in this new phase of the MCU. One of the biggest early moments happened when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes coming together to defeat Loki and his army from the depths of space, and there’s one scene in particular of the original six heroes (Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Hulk, Black Widow) joining in formation. It was a pop cultural reset that defined the superhero scene in the decade that followed, but according to Thor himself, that’s not exactly what happened.
As you know if you've watched the Marvel movies in order, the MCU's Phase One revolves around six heroes who came together to form the Avengers, and therefore the 2012 film with the same title formally introduced the group. The actors that portrayed these characters did such a good job that it really felt fantastical watching them all together, so it’s easy to forget they are just regular people. In an interview with Jake Hamilton, the co-host of ReelBlend, Chris Hemsworth (Thor) revealed that the feeling in the studio that day was not at all what was later shown on screen.
It felt anything but iconic. We’re shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it was like 400 degrees. We’re all covered in leather, you know, plastic costumes, and then doing push ups in between takes to try and get a pump on. And it was so hot! Everyone’s like what is this shot, what are we doing? And the camera’s going here, and theres a technical issue… And we’re on a soundstage with a green screen. And it's always the way it never feels–the romance of how it lands on screen. Wow, that’s what we were making? The contrast was pretty extreme.
I wonder if the core six knew what they were creating. It all came together in the end, but it definitely went through trial and error first. According to Zak Penn, the original Avengers writer, his script was scrapped by director Joss Whedon after years of work, and the new writers almost had another villain involved in Loki’s schemes. Not to mention that The Wasp was almost written in, but later replaced by Scarlet Johansson's Black Widow. I can’t imagine the Russian assassin being left out of this movie, as she’s the glue that holds the team together.
It’s hard to believe what we see in the Marvel movies is mostly green screen and effects inserted after the fact. Even so, it’s still impressive. Marvel sets are notoriously large scale, hardcore productions, but past MCU characters have said how fun the sets are. With the movies having such a prominent role in pop culture, oftentimes actors that get involved with the franchise become defined by their character, but the majority do not regret joining the franchise.
In fact, we may see the return of some beloved MCU alum very soon. Several names have been dropped to reappear in the next two Avengers movies. Even with a new crew making its debut, some old faces will be present on screen, most notably Robert Downey Jr, although rather than reprise Iron Man, who died in Endgame, he's instead been cast as Doctor Doom. I honestly am just excited he’s back, and he’s not the only one. In a homecoming of sorts, the Russo Brothers will be back to direct the next two Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
With all these new announcements and reveals to the franchise, I would love to be a part of the OG Avengers group chat, especially when RDJ announced his return. I hope they found out before the press release, and I would pay money to have seen all their faces when that news dropped.
You can catch up on all the twists and turns within the franchise with a Disney+ subscription. Honestly, I might have to brush up myself given the multiverse has stories branching and interlocking in so many different directions these days. While it’s my Marvel heart’s dream to see the OG Avengers assemble together again (come on, multiverse, work your magic), I’ll settle for fun behind-the-scenes info until the day it becomes reality.
