Could Marvel Use Skrulls To Replace Original Avengers Actors?

San Diego Comic-Con revealed a number of new details about the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the biggest bombshell turned out to be the introduction of some familiar green aliens, and they could have a very big impact on the MCU going forward.

Those aliens are known as the Skrulls, and are stalwarts of the Marvel comics universe and some rather epic storylines. Marvel revealed that the Skrulls will be the main antagonist in the Brie Larson starring Captain Marvel, which is set in the 1990’s. The combination of timeline and Skrull abilities has lead to a possible out if Marvel wants it, specifically when it comes to recasting.

Marvel has hit gold several times with the casting of actors like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Hemsworth, but nothing is forever. With many of the earliest characters coming up on contract renewals in the near future, it seems likely that a few might not stick around. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has referred to recasting before and seems to understand it is somewhat inevitable.

“look to history: We have a new Spider-Man right now who was in our “Civil War” film and is in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and the audience has embraced it. And you can look to Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Batman as characters that last longer than any one actor playing them. There’s a precedent for it in other franchises that suggests it’s possible. But right now I don’t want to think about it and don’t need to think about it.”

If that’s the case, could a possible Secret Invasion type storyline set up a perfect opportunity for ushering in some new actors?

For those who don’t know, Secret Invasion is a Marvel storyline that had the Skrulls infiltrating Earth for years by kidnapping heroes and taking their place. Heroes like Spider-Woman, Elektra, Black Bolt, Mockingbird, and Hank Pym were all taken and replaced, and while they were eventually recovered, it would take years for them to recover the trust of their fellow heroes.

So, could Marvel pull a similar switcheroo and use it to recast certain roles with new actors? Hit the next slide to see who could possibly make the cut for phase 1.

Phase 1

So phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe includes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers.

As the first phase, this list includes many of the actors who would be up for an exit first. The biggest candidates for it would specifically be Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and Chris Evans as Captain America. Making either one of these characters a Skrull in disguise would have huge ramifications, and would allow Marvel to introduce new actors to take the iconic positions.

The MCU will always need an Iron Man and a Captain America, but Robert Downey Jr. has previously said he wants to exit the character while he’s still on top.

“It’s like with a team if you’re going to hang up your jersey, you want to make sure the team is in good shape and they can still compete at a high level,” Downey explained, “because ultimately that’s what made the whole thing worth doing anyways.”

As for Evans, he already extended his Marvel contract once to accommodate Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, saying he did so “because it made sense. It’s going to wrap everything up.” He’s also said he will play the character for as long as Marvel wants him to, but if his time as the star spangled Avenger is going to end, going this route would be sure to do it with a bang.

Hit the next slide to see who could exit in Phase 2.

 

Phase 2

Phase 2 includes Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man.

With the aforementioned Iron Man and Captain America recastings out of the way, Phase 2 introduces characters like the Winter Soldier, Falcon, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant-Man to the mix.

Out of all of these, the biggest opportunity would be to reveal that the Quicksilver that died in Age of Ultron was indeed a Skrull. The film could reveal a flashback that showed Skrull agents retrieving the body before it completely turned, or perhaps one of the Avengers covered up the body, revealed them to be a Skrull agent.

A Skrull could also hit hard in the Guardians camp, taking the place of Star-Lord, Gamora, or Drax. No one has expressed interest in leaving the franchise obviously, but director James Gunn has previously said that the crew in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 would not be in place for future films, and this could be one way to do it with real consequences.

“I think the first three movies tell a single story and that story is pretty simple. I think that there could be a Guardians Vol. 4, but it would not be the same” said Gunn. “It would not be the same group… basically the story of this group ends with Vol. 3.”

Hit the next slide for Phase 3.

Phase 3

Phase 3 includes Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man & The Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Avengers 4.

This being the newest phase, it only leaves a few possible options, and some haven’t even been here very long. New characters include Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Mantis, Valkyrie, Hela, Spider-Man, The Wasp, Captain Marvel, Wong, and Baron Mordo.

Getting the obvious ones out of the way, it won’t be Captain Marvel because she is the primary protagonist against the Skrulls, and there’s no way on God’s green earth Sony would let Marvel turn Spider-Man into a little green imposter.

You can also probably take out names like Black Panther, and The Wasp too. That leaves a few other characters, but those are all recent castings, so it is unlikely Marvel feels the need to switch.

Going back to Spider-Man for a minute (who is definitely not a Skrull), Kevin Feige has recently said that the Homecoming sequel will essentially be a fresh start for the universe and takes place right after Avengers: 4.

“The second [movie] is all we’re thinking about now,” Feige said. “This five-movie arc, which is a lot of movies. From Civil War to Homecoming, to Infinity War, Untitled [Avengers 4] and Homecoming 2. That’s a big chunk of Peter Parker that’s never been explored before that is taking up all of our focus right now.”

That fresh start might come with a few new faces as well.

Before You Go

Avengers: Infinity War is described by Marvel Studios as the culmination of everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Iron Man in 2008. The movie is filming now under directors Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

The expansive confirmed cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bethany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as the villain Thanos.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming are in theaters now, followed by Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017. After that Black Panther debuts on February 16, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp is slated for July 6, 2018, followed by Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.

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