Rumors hit the Internet yesterday that screen legend Robert Redford is in talks with Marvel Comics to join the cast of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Reportedly, the actor would play a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. official, leading many fans to draw parallels between the aging actor and the original Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. from the comics (a white man with graying hair).And while some expressed reservations about the casting–“In 2013 are people excited about Robert Redford?” asked one of the regular commenters on our Facebook page–most fans responded with enthusiasm, making the story one of our most-read yesterday.So why are we so sure he’s a good fit for the Marvel Universe?He was almost Superman.That’s right, kids. Back when Warner Bros. were pulling together the classic 1970s Superman film, Robert Redford came about as close as anyone not named Christopher Reeve to donning the blue and red.Depending on whose version you believe, Redford either wasn’t interested, was too expensive, or got cast and then was reconsidered by director Richard Donner, who felt Superman should be played by an unknown. In any event, Redford has accomplished much during his years on the screen–wouldn’t it be kind of cool to see him land a superhero role after the biggest one got away?He Totally Could Be Old Man Fury.Given the grizzled look of latter-day Sundance, we could see him pulling off Old Man Fury.While Marvel Comics have nixed the idea that “Nick Fury” is a codename given the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., that theory has found traction with fans over the years, and has been especially popular since the publisher decided to create a more movie-friendly Marvel Universe wherein they imported the “Ultimate” Nick Fury into their mainstream superhero universe and essentially put the guy who’s been on it since the ’40s out to pasture.Introducing it in the movies–that this guy, who may or may not have an eyepatch and may or may not have been around at least since the Cold War if not necessarily since World War II, and who may or may not be chomping on a cigar–this guy could be a sly implication for those who want it that the “original” Nick Fury still existed in some form in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidLet’s face it–Butch and Sundance are the template for the kind of snarky, smarmy, lovable jerk-style of hero that Robert Downey, Jr. plays in the Iron Man films.
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