Apparently the new heroes aren’t up to snuff.
Marvel Studios is having a bad time right now, and when things are bad, you tend to look back at what worked before and try it again. In light of Bob Iger‘s public recognition of the drawbacks associated with an overabundance of Marvel TV content, the chiefs are Marvel Studios are contemplating some drastic action, as reported by Variety.
Insider reports suggest that discussions have taken place regarding a potential revival of the original Avengers ensemblefor a new movie. This ambitious project would involve the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, both of whom met their demise in Avengers: Endgame. But it’s comic books after all. Who stays dead, really? Especially when massive amounts of money are involved.
After all, the most recent Spider-Man film, No Way Home featured a litany of villains, all of whom were played by the same actors from the past, most of whom had been killed in their own movies. It’s important to note that the studio has not yet committed to this concept, and if it were to secure the return of these actors, it would come at a substantial cost. Insider sources reveal that Robert Downey Jr.’s upfront salary for Iron Man 3 was approximately $25 million — and that was when Marvel was on the up. Going back to the Downey well, and maybe trying to get Chris Evans back on board too? That’s going to take a lot of money and an even better script.
But Disney may need to face facts that the Marvel name is slowly losing its reputation in the wake of slumping box office returns — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a rare exception — and poor-to-middling reviews, not to mention their own PR shocker with the Jonathan Majors situation. The solution to that is getting more butts on seats and stopping the flow of negativity. That’s easier said than done, though.
Are the Original Avengers Coming Back?
As it stands, the remaining original Avengers still on the board are Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor, Jeremy Renner‘s Hawkeye — although Renner himself is lucky to be alive right now — and Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk. While those three are big names in their own right, Downey, Johansson and Evans are the three biggest names Disney could pull out of the bag. But it’s a desperate situation, and with the current phase of Marvel revolving around the Multiverse, perhaps they need to dive into an alternate universe where those three actors want to come back and don the superhero suits one last time. Johansson is still contracted to Marvel, producing her own project, so she will have some negotiating to do there. For Downey and Evans, they might need to crack open the vault.
