But, as we’ve witnessed in the past, the Marvel film universe is far from the work 20th Century Fox did with Fantastic Four or what Sony Pictures made with Spider-Man. The result is that Chris Evans has turned out to be one of the most exciting aspects of the Marvel cinematic universe and is certainly one of the top Avengers in the Marvel team. It all was a success.
Now that the Marvel film universe has been established, could there be a chance that we’ll be seeing actors portraying two Marvel characters in the comic book universe? Thor Thor: The Dark World star Zachary Levi says he’s had a conversation with Kevin Feige about that very question. The answer may surprise you.
In the midst of publicity in the lead-up to Heroes Reborn on NBC (one of the upcoming television shows that we’re eager to see), Levi spoke with Den of Geek about whether or not he’ll return as Fandral in Thor: Ragnarok and the actor isn’t sure yet:
“I don’t know. They’ve not said anything to me. I’m hoping they will. I think it would be a lot of fun to see the group back together, that is, the Warriors Three. But there’s another reason the film’s named Thor instead of The Warriors Three. They’ve been obligated to do the right thing for Thor.
I believe they’re shooting in the next summer. Therefore, it’s a matter of deciding on the season. I know when they’re scheduled to film just because everyone else knows when the film will be released since Marvel has already pushed everything out, which, I believe, is in November, as the last Thor was. Therefore, they’ll have to shoot the film next summer. I’m not sure. It would be lots of fun, but there are plenty of other Marvel roles I’d like to be able to play someday. If I never play Fandral in the future, I did get to play it once, and it was an amazing team to collaborate with.”
This is the point where the interviewer remarked the question of whether Levi is unable to play Fandral, which would prevent the possibility of playing other characters within the Marvel film universe. Levi was asking the exact concern when he considered being cast in the Fandral role:
“I enjoyed a fascinating discussion of Kevin Feige early on about this, and he told me, “Look, it doesn’t mean you can’t play another Marvel role.” Chris Evans was The Human Torch and Captain America. Ray Stevenson was The Punisher and Volstagg. I did mention to him that “In fairness, neither Fantastic Four nor The Punisher was actually a Marvel movie. You were a part of it, but other studios produced them.” However, he replied, “Look, I totally understand that, but don’t worry about it.” I’m not sure, but whether there’s a job that is offered and they’d like me to take on the role, I’d be thrilled to.”
I’m pleased that Levi made the distinction between a character within Fantastic Four and The Punisher: War Zone and a character in the Marvel cinematic universe since it certainly isn’t as easy for an actor to play a totally different character that has already been recognized as another character in that same comic film world.
But we’ve witnessed two actors performing two different roles in the Marvel film universe. One of them seemed to be logical in terms of story, and the other was merely an actor’s choice.
Paul Bettany was the voice of Tony Stark’s digital assistant JARVIS during 3 Iron Man movies and The Avengers. However, in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Bettany became The Vision. The role change was logical, however, since JARVIS was the one who helped develop The Vision, so it was not like having an actor play a completely distinct character in the usual manner.
The other scenario features less popular actor Enver Gjokaj. He played an unnamed young police officer In The Avengers but went into the role of Daniel Sousa in the Agent Carter TV series. This particular scenario is different from the one Zachary Levi is talking about because it’s not like Gjokaj was a well-known iconic role in the MCU prior to Agent Carter.
Most likely, the reactions of supporters in the event of a scenario similar to the one that is unfolding will depend on the actor and the character. In the end, even though certain fans were up in arms over Evans acting as Captain America following his performance as Human Torch, no one thought much about Ray Stevenson playing Volstagg after his role as Frank Castle. Perhaps it was because no one was able to see The Punisher: War Zone; however, these fans must, at the very least, be honest about their differences.
The positive side is that it means that we could have Guardians of the Galaxy star Vin Diesel pop up elsewhere in the Marvel film universe. Vin Diesel is the actor who plays Groot in the comic book film that is cosmic. However, he’s previously suggested that he might have something else to be in the works in collaboration with Marvel as well, including a possible role in Inhumans, and now we can say it’s a possibility. However, Diesel is also playing an actor who isn’t viewed as the character, which makes the transition simple.
In any case, there’s a vast number of talented actors in the casting process for new Marvel characters; therefore, we won’t have to think about doubling down on actors who play two characters for a while. Although it’s something Kevin Feige is comfortable doing, they’re unlikely to take the initiative to do it anytime soon.
