MarvelBlog News for March 23rd, 2025
This week: The Russo Brothers are still talking, Black Widow is still dead, and Daredevil is very in.
I’ll explain it all in the latest MarvelBlog News.
Let’s Start with the Denial
Photo: Jaeger-LeCoultre
A few weeks ago, I discussed Benedict Cumberbatch’s reasonable mistake.
The actor who plays Doctor Strange in the MCU emphatically stated he wasn’t in Avengers: Doomsday.
Then, he sheepishly backtracked a few days later when he learned that he maybe was in the movie.
That statement makes him seem either foolish or ill-informed, but it’s perfectly understandable.
Photo: Vanity Fair
When actors join the MCU, they sign contracts that basically give Marvel control over their schedules for the lifetime of their contracts.
Even actors as successful as Cumberbatch happily sign on in exchange for the fame and steady work Marvel provides.
Source: Marvel Studios
For its part, Marvel came to perceive the deals as too favorable to the talent, as incredulous as that may sound.
A few years ago, the studio used Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame as a stopping point of sorts.
Photo: BBC
Marvel fully intended to get rid of performers like Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson due to their hefty price tags.
Now, don’t get me wrong. RDJ’s price tag was exponentially more than ScarJo, but that’s Hollywood institutional sexism for you.
(Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney)
The point is that Marvel didn’t like ScarJo’s often increasing salary. You can imagine how Kevin Feige felt about RDJ’s price.
Well, the planned post-Endgame reboot with newer, cheaper actors didn’t go as anticipated.
Source: Marvel Studios
We won’t relive the trauma, but let’s just say Eternals is a good example of what went wrong.
So, now Disney, Marvel’s owner, has happily written RDJ and the Russo Brothers huuuuge checks to bring them back into the fold.
Photo: Filmibeat
Now, the obvious question is who’s next, and ScarJo just spoke on the record about her current status.
According to the actress, Natasha Romanoff “is dead. She is dead. She’s dead. Okay?”
Photo: Marvel
Charmingly, ScarJo sounds rather protective of Black Widow’s noble sacrifice.
Is She Lying?
Photo: ©Marvel Studios 2020
I mean, yeah. Probably. Here’s the rest of the quote, though.
“Look, I think the balance of the entire universe is held in her hand. We’re going to have to let it go.
Natasha staring into the face of oblivion. Photo: Marvel Studios
“She saved the world. Let her have her hero moment.”
The problem with her noble logic is that the same thought process applies to RDJ’s Tony Stark and, well, you know.
Source: Marvel Studios
RDJ is coming back, albeit in a different role. Marvel is undeniably getting the band back together.
Avengers: Secret Wars and Avengers Doomsday would feel hollow if ScarJo didn’t appear in it. And I’m pretty sure she knows that.
Photo: BBC
Still, I think her recent interview did a clever job of achieving two goals.
First, she provided plausible deniability regarding future participation.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Second, ScarJo reminded everyone that without Romanoff’s death, the Avengers wouldn’t have reformed the Infinity Gauntlet.
So, she did have her moment and literally saved the universe…or at least half of it.
Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2 (2010). Photo: Marvel
Speaking of the upcoming Avengers sequels, The Russo Brothers are still on a media tour for their mega-expensive Netflix film.
Therefore, we’ve gotten more tidbits about what’s next for the MCU.
Photo: MTV.com
For starters, the Russos credit Kevin Feige for the idea of RDJ playing Doctor Doom, which totally tracks.
Feige loves superstar casting, as recently demonstrated by Harrison Ford in Captain America: Brave New World.
New Information about the Avengers
Source: Variety
The thought of bringing back a beloved Marvel star in a new role must have been like catnip to Feige. The Russos add:
“And the only thing I will say about the film is: we love villains who think they are the heroes of their own stories.
That’s when they become three-dimensional and more interesting.”
That sure sounds like Doctor Doom thinks of himself as the good guy and the Avengers as the ones standing in his way.
WASTELANDERS- DOOM #1 cover by Josemaria Casanovas. Photo: Marvel
I’m pretty sure I’ve read variants of this story a time or two in Fantastic Four. Doom’s ego is probably his most iconic character trait.
We’ve also learned that most filming will occur in England, where Marvel gets up to a 25.5 cashback incentive while filming.
Source: Marvel Studios
Reportedly, Disney has already spent twice as much on pre-production as on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
So, Marvel needs to save money whenever it can, especially with this cast. People like Cumberbatch (and probably ScarJo) ain’t cheap.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Also, the working production title is For All Time Productions UK, which sounds a lot like Loki’s TVA motto, “For all time. Always.”
That could be a total coincidence or a hint about the plot. Who knows?
Miss Minutes at TVA. Photo: Marvel
The TVA were technically a part of Deadpool & Wolverine, but it was a plot device more than anything else.
The Russos have also suggested that Avengers: Doomsday is the other half of the bookend for Avengers: Endgame.
While that film finished a story, Avengers: Doomsday will apparently begin a new one.
Marvel Miscellany
Image: Marvel
For anyone who doesn’t like Avengers stories, this was a ridiculously slow news week.
The most interesting tidbit was the reveal that Daredevil rewatches are a thing right now.
Image: Marvel
Due to the exemplary quality of Daredevil: Born Again, many Disney+ fans are going back to watch the original episodes.
According to Variety, Daredevil viewing is up 153 percent recently. And I’m telling you everyone who watched is happy.
Source: Marvel Studios
Also, I guess I’m overdue for a box office update on Captain America: Brave New World, which I mentioned earlier.
Well, it’s not good. At all. After all this time, the latest Captain America just now crossed $400 million at the box office.
Image: Marvel
For a title with a $180 million budget, it’s not going to make money.
With its current domestic/international box office revenue split, the film needs at least $450 million to be profitable.
Image: Marvel
While Brave New World is pretty close to a draw, it’ll turn a profit soon after it debuts on video.
Still, for a Marvel film, that’s not a strong performance. More importantly, it’s a setback after the runaway success of Deadpool 4.
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Featured image: Marvel
