MOVIE NEWS – The new multiverse is bleeding from so many wounds that Marvel is reportedly considering bringing back the original Avengers cast for the new film…

Amid the uncertainty surrounding the current state of the MCU, Marvel executives have reportedly considered returning to their roots. Yesterday’s report from Variety addresses some critical questions surrounding the MCU. Especially with the content that’s been pouring in over the past few years since Avengers: Endgame. One solution they considered? It looks like a new Avengers movie with the original cast.

This would include the return of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, despite their deaths in Endgame, Variety reports.

However, Marvel has reportedly not yet “committed” to this drastic proposal.

That’s at least in part because, given the famously high salaries of MCU actors, this plan would be expensive for the already cash-strapped studio. According to Variety’s sources, Downey’s upfront salary for Iron Man 3 was $25 million. That doesn’t even consider the percentage of box office hits that many actors earn as compensation.

Serious trouble in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Returning to the original Avengers crew would be no small feat. Especially given the favourable reception Endgame received as the conclusion of the MCU’s Eternity saga. But as Variety’s report points out, the MCU is currently at a sort of existential crossroads that returning Disney chief Bob Iger has struggled to control.

It also fits into the drama surrounding Victoria Alonso being fired by Marvel Studios in March – a shocking development at the time, given that Alonso was one of Marvel’s most influential producers.

At the time, it was reported that Alonso was fired for breach of contract for serving as a producer on Amazon Studios’ Oscar-nominated Argentine drama 1985.

However, according to Variety’s sources, this was actually a reaction to the MCU’s decline in quality since Endgame. Especially in VFX. As head of physics, post-production, VFX, and animation at Marvel Studios, Alonso was responsible for most of the responsibility.

The effects of series such as WandaVision and She-Hulk have gone to the end, reports Variety. Issues such as gruelling 14-hour days prompted the studio’s VFX workers to vote unanimously to unionize in September. Meanwhile, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which officially kicked off the MCU in February, received heavy criticism for its VFX.

It’s worth noting, however, that other sources said Alonso was the scapegoat for the MCU’s scripting issues in the report. In the original She-Hulk script, for example, protagonist Tatiana Maslany’s transformation didn’t happen until episode 8. But when the script was reworked to show more of his backstory, the VFX team suddenly had to juggle work.

“The so-called bad VFX we’re seeing was due to half-baked scripts,” an unnamed source told Variety. “It’s not Victoria. It’s Kevin [Feige]. And even over Kevin. These issues should be resolved in pre-production.”

 

Blade, Kang and the rest of the fiascos

The problems also extended to the studio’s long-struggling Blade reboot. The latter went through several writers and directors and was reportedly even considering bringing in Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as the fourth lead. The film is now being made on less than $100 million, Variety reports. That’s pretty shocking, considering how much Marvel usually spends on their movies.

And then there’s the serious legal issues surrounding Jonathan Majors, which has MCU executives reportedly considering replacing Kang with another villain like Doctor Doom.

Jonathan Majors, who was arrested in March 2023 on assault charges, is still awaiting trial. Majors debuted as a variant of Kang the Conqueror in Phase 4 Loki Season 1 and has since been set up as the main villain of the entire “Multiverse Saga”. However, his arrest shortly after the premiere of Quantumania put his future in the MCU in jeopardy.

Overall, the MCU is clearly at a critical juncture right now. The creators and managers must be feeling the internal tension. For more details, read the full report at Variety at the link below!

Source: Variety