Marvel Execs Consider Reviving Downey Jr's Iron Man, Return Original 'Avengers' Over Box Office Fails

Marvel fans may see some familiar faces on the big screen in the future as executives scramble to find ways to combat the series of challenges facing the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Variety quoted unnamed sources as saying that Marvel execs are considering a big screen reunion for the original "Avengers" cast.

As part of this plan, two beloved characters who were killed off in 2019's "Endgame" could be revived for a potential new "Avengers" movie: Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow.

Even before "Endgame," the MCU had killed off several characters and brought them back in the same movie or another project in the past, such as Thor, Phil Coulson and Groot, Screen Rant noted.

While execs may be hoping to replicate the success of "Endgame," which grossed $2.8 billion, Variety's sources claimed that the studio is still mulling over whether to push through with this plan, which could potentially cost Marvel a pretty penny in terms of actors' salary.

Downey Jr. was paid around $25 million upfront to reprise his titular role in "Iron Man 3," unnamed sources told the magazine.

Rumors of a potential "Avengers" reunion came after the studio's recent movies showed disappointing box office performances and received mixed reviews.

These included February's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," the first film in MCU Phase 5. Despite grossing around $476 million worldwide, the Paul Rudd-starrer did not break even in its theatrical run, according to Variety.

While it had a promising $105 million opening weekend, "Quantumania" suffered a 69.8% decline in ticket sales in its second weekend after earning just $32 million. This marked the biggest second-weekend drop in the franchise's history.

Recent MCU releases that suffered similar declines include 2021's "Black Widow" (67.8%), 2022's "Thor: Love and Thunder" (67.6%), 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (67.5%) and 2022's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (67%).

Marvel Studios also faces a string of challenges concerning its upcoming releases, including those brought by new Marvel villain Jonathan Majors' legal issues.

The MCU's next phase was reportedly supposed to center around Majors' Kang the Conqueror, who appeared in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." "Loki" Season 2's upcoming finale reportedly sets up his character as the titular star of a 2026 "Avengers" film, according to Variety.

But the actor's upcoming trial on domestic abuse charges had led Marvel execs, including studio chief Kevin Feige, to come up with other options during the studio's annual retreat in Palm Springs, California, in September, the magazine reported. These reportedly included potentially replacing Kang with Dr. Doom.

In addition to this, "The Marvels," which brings back Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, is predicted to have an underwhelming performance at the box office when it premieres next week.

Variety reported that the $250 million sequel to 2019's "Captain Marvel" has a projected opening weekend of $75 million to $80 million, less than half of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'" $185 million opening at the domestic box office in 2022. 

Churning out so many projects has also not only caused "superhero fatigue" among audiences but also massive strain on Marvel's VFX department, which has allegedly struggled with the studio's untenable deadlines and working conditions, according to the report.

The 14-hour work days eventually led to Marvel VFX workers voting to unionize two months ago.

While testifying before the Congressional Labor Caucus last month, Anna George, a former Marvel Studios VFX assistant coordinator, cited "unsustainable" conditions, including the pay and long hours at Marvel, as their reasons for starting the unionization process.

Do you think a big screen reunion of the original "Avengers" cast is a good idea for the franchise? Share your thoughts in the comments!