Kevin Feige Discusses The Possibility Of Recasting Iron Man & Captain America

In the mind of the current movie goer, Iron Man is Robert Downey Jr., and Captain America is Steve Rogers. They are one in the same, and that fact will be forever cemented … or so we hope. For a long time now, the discussion has always been, what will Marvel do when Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are too old, or wish to move on from their incredible superhero portrayals? Well finally the boss, Kevin Feige, has chosen to address that popular question, in a recent interview with the Toronto Sun.

The Toronto Sun chose to ask Kevin Feige which direction he sees the studio going with, either by having someone come in to fill the actors massive shoes, i.e. Don Cheadle replacing Terrance Howard, or Mark Ruffalo being substituted in for Edward Norton.

“I think it could be either one. These characters have been around for 50-plus years, and have been relatively ageless. Sometimes there are alternate stories where the character is younger than they usually are, or older, but they usually maintain a certain age. I think most of these characters that are iconic, like (James) Bond, like Batman, like Spider-Man, like Iron Man, someday will be portrayed by different actors. The good news right now is I don’t have to think about that for a long time. We have storylines for this cast for many years to come.”

It is upsetting to think that perhaps Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans might end up being replaced on day, but it’s also ridiculous to assume that they will be playing these iconic figures into their 70s. And it’s worth noting, Christian Bale was an incredible Batman, but I believe it was truly for the best that Ben Affleck is portraying him now, as he brings another interesting level to the caped crusader. The Russo Brothers, the directors behind two of Marvel’s greatest films, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War, also added their voices to the popular debate in an interview with Forbes.

“There has been talk of recasting some key roles, Iron Man for example. How much of a big decision is that, creatively and financially, and how much does it change the dynamic? It’s almost impossible to replace Robert, he’s the biggest movie star in the world. One close up from Robert is worth another actor’s entire performance, he’s incredibly gifted and insanely talented. I think if and when he is done with the character I think you will find that Iron Man might disappear for a while. I think the only way that you could reboot that character is to give a generational gap that would allow another actor to at least have a chance to redefine that character without the enormous spectre of Robert hanging over it. There are so many characters in the Marvel universe that can pick up the ball and run without it through the next phase or two before you need to see Iron Man again, frankly.”

I think it will be quite a while before we have to start discussing replacement actors, but in the meantime, what do you think about Kevin Feige’s comments? Sound-off below if you have any ideas on actors you’d like to see take on the famous roles.

Source: Toronto Sun