Out With the Old
Think back to 2008, who was Robert Downey Jr? Most of the main films he starred in were in the 90’s, he was a nobody. Then the casting for Iron Man happened and he took charge. Now he is the one and only Iron Man. After 11 years since the start of the Marvel era in 2008 with its release of Iron Man there have been 20 Marvel movies released not including the 3 that are coming out in early 2019. But as Avengers Endgame approaches, the cast is shrinking.
After Endgame there are 3 main cast members leaving for good that have stuck around for many years. Chris Evans, most known for his role as Captain America has announced his contract is about to expire and he is done playing the role of Cap, “Officially wrapped on Avengers 4. It was an emotional day to say the least. Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor. To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful.” (Baxter DoG) said Evans. His role was iconic staring in 6 films since 2011 and also being in multiple cameos throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Another star to leave the cast is the God of Thunder himself, Thor. Chris Hemsworth stated: “Contractually, right now --- yeah, this is it. I'm done. I won't be playing the character again. It's sort of a scary thought. This really seemed like this never-ending thing. And now it's potentially finishing.” (Chichizola CB). Thor is arguably the most powerful Avenger in the MCU. Hulk is strong but Thor, you can’t go wrong with. The God of Thunder has also been in 6 movies 4 of which are with Evans. Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Age of Ultron, and Infinity war are all films both Evans and Hemsworth have worked on together. It’s hard to kill a god but if you think about it, Marvel just did.
A few more members that have been here since the beginning of Avengers are Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Samuel L Jackson (Fury), and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye). All of them including Evans, Hemsworth, and Downey, were in the first Avengers film. Avengers was the spark of the MCU which set off the rest of the story line. After its release in 2012 there have been 14 movies made that all connect with the Avengers. The MCU has done a great job keeping the story line going up to now, but as it approaches the end who will step up to take the top spot now?
All of these amazing cast members are leaving but there is still some amazing talent being left in the MCU including the very talented Tom Holland and The Black Panther himself Chadwick Boseman. But the MCU has movies planned all the way up to 2022. Some films are sequels to recent released film like Guardians of the Galaxy Pt. 3, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Panther 2, and a new film based on the Black Widow.
Looking into 2019 there are already 3 Marvel movies announced to release this year. The most anticipated film to release from the MCU is Avengers: End Game. This movie has the full cast and will be the last time some of these members will put on a suit. But this year is also introducing one more member to the Marvel Universe, Brie Larson who is starring in the new film Captain Marvel that is set to release March 8th, 2019. Then there is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming which is Spider-Man: Far From Home starring Tom Holland and a new cast member Jake Gyllenhaal who is playing Mysterio.
This may be the end of the old MCU but for right now the future is bright. Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, and Brie Larson are just a few members that are the on track. But it’ll be hard to carry on the legacy left behind by Evans and Downey. This may be the end of a legacy for some but the beginning of another.