Over the last decade and change, The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a wildly popular franchise, which includes both movies and TV projects available with a Disney+ subscription. But there has been some concern over the franchise, especially as projects like Ant-Man 3 failed to perform at the box office. There’s a ton of chatter and speculation about the studio, but could the MCU really bring back dead characters like Iron Man? Let’s break it all down.
While there has been a steady stream of Marvel content hitting theaters and TV screens, there have been worries about superhero fatigue possibly affecting the once rabid fandom. An explosive and long report by Variety detailed the behind the scenes drama, and also made some bold allegations about what’s happening at the studio. Specifically that they’re toying with the idea of bringing the original Avengers back for a new project, including both Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. And my mind is officially blown.
It’s important to note that there’s no concrete plans to actually make this potential movie happen. But the idea of reviving those beloved characters and uniting the original Avengers seems like something that would really excite fans. Although the piece by Variety also admits that the paycheck involved with bringing those actors back to the fold might be too expensive for the studio to actually move forward with this concept.
The record-breaking release of Avengers: Endgame brought a major shift to the MCU as a whole. The movie saw ScarJo’s Black Widow fall to her death to acquire the Soul Stone, followed by Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man sacrificing himself to destroy Thanos. Phases Four and Five have intrigued a ton of new characters, but it’s unclear where the overall narrative is leading us. After all, projects are no longer assembling the Infinity Stones and teasing Thanos’ arrival.
Endgame also marked the final appearance by Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, although some fans are still hoping that the OG Captain America returns one day. It would definitely be thrilling to see them all back on the big screen together, but one can only imagine how much money it would cost– especially since they’re no longer bound to a previous contact.
Of course, some of the OG Avengers are still kicking in the MCU. Chris Hemsworth is still playing Thor, with Love and Thunder marking the first time a hero was given a fourth solo flick. Jeremy Renner got his Hawkeye series, Mark Ruffalo appeared in both She-Hulk and in Shang-Chi’s mid-credit scene. We’ll just have to see if another Avengers movie is actually produced featuring all of the OGs.
The next MCU movie hitting theaters is The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
