rw2516

I'm confused, but I think someone is arguing that if an actor dies in real life you don't kill the character, or alter the script to reflect that the actor died. You should go forward with what you originally wanted to do anyway as if the actor was still alive. Other words, if an actor dies, their character should not be permanently removed from the continuity.
Also, that the double identities are two different characters. Iron Man and Tony Stark are separate characters.

Josh-da-man

As far as recasting in the MCU goes, I think they've been too quick to kill off characters like Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Natasha Romanoff when the actors leave the roles. I'd rather they just recast the characters -- Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tony Stark? Jensen Ackles as Captain America? Some other hot chick as Natasha? Seems like a waste of good characters to just pass their superhero identities off to new people.

Oddly enough, T'Challa is in a different ballpark because it's built into the Black Panther character that it's an identity that gets passed on to a new person, so having a new Black Panther isn't quite as forced as giving a Sam a promotion to Captain America, Riri becoming Iron Man 2.0, and making Yelena Black Widow II.

I think that the MCU is going to start having a problem by introducing so many takes on the same characters... we now have Sam Wilson Captain America, USAgent, and America Chavez (Captain America); War Machine, Ironheart, and Peter "Iron Spider" Parker (Iron Man); She-Hulk, Skarr, and probably Red Hulk waiting in the wings (Hulk); and a new Black Widow. It's getting to be a bit much. Just recast the old characters and bring in new characters and concepts instead of watered down versions of the classic characters.

The Marvel Comics universe is already drowning in this stuff with a bunch of Spiderman knock-offs (Miles Morales, Spider Gwen), Wolverine knock-offs (Old Man Logan, X-23, and Daken), and all of the different Hulks.

Draven

I’d rather the MCU focus on other characters rather than keep Tony Stark and Natasha Romanov going with new actors. Time for characters like the FF, X-Men and She-Hulk to come to the forefront.

The last thing I want is for Marvel to fall into the same trap that DC has with recasting Batman every 5 minutes.

Jason

Aren't all graduates of The Red Room technically Black Widows? Natasha was the one who defected/turned, so she would have been unique in having that title in the west. Also, did they ever actually refer to her as Black Widow in any MCU movie?

Jason

I have what will no doubt be a very unpopular opinion about this, which is Chadwick Boseman knew he was dying of cancer, yet never informed the studio (at least not until the very, very end) even though they were planning on him helming several high profile films. He didn't respect them, so why should we respect him to the point of not recasting T'Challa?

actionjackson29

Yeah, that is an unpopular opinion.

whotony

Unpopular isnt the word I’d use for that opinion.

RocShemp

It's not what anyone wants to hear but... Jason has a point. I get Boseman not making a statement to the world but a behind closed doors meeting should have been initiated by him so there could be a contingency plan in place. Isn't that what Patrick Swayze did with his show? Yes, it got cancelled after his passing but everyone was on board to continue until his passing and I'm sure they used the heads up to line up their next gigs before the terrible moment of his passing came to be.

rw2516

If he had already signed on to do another movie it would be common courtesy to inform them.

kefrank

Just my opinion, but in this context, the scales of common courtesy tip heavily toward respecting the choice of someone dying to keep their medical struggle private to the very end.

rw2516

I would agree except if you'd already signed the deal to make the movie. Why mislead them? Why let them waste their time and money planning, working on a script, designing production, etc.

Josh-da-man

When actors receive a diagnosis for a potentially terminal or debilitating disease, they usually keep it on the down low for as long as possible because they will have difficulty finding work at a time when they need income.

OldBoy

That Assembled special was pretty good.

Abob Teff

Um, yeah?

This thread has taken a dark turn.

kefrank

Given that he made the first Black Panther movie after his diagnosis while privately undergoing chemo and surgeries, it's not unreasonable that he might believe (or at least strongly hope) that he could do it again.

tanman

Well, think about it from Boseman's POV. They certainly would not have cast them had they knew about his diagnosis. And he would have been out of a job and out of an opportunity. Yeah for the greater good of the company maybe he should have told them. But would you tell your job that you had a terminal illness if you knew you would be fired for it? Or would you rob you and your family of that income or you for the chance to play this role? It's pretty understandable why he didn't tell anyone and I certainly don't fault him for that. It certainly seems like he gave every ounce of his strength and talent for that role and I think we should honor him for that.

RocShemp

It's easy to view that by the impersonal vacuum of "the company", what of his co-workers whose livelihood s he put in jeopardy by not at least giving the company a contingency plan. I hate to say this but his actions, though understandable from his POV, were a huge middle finger to his fellow workers.

As for honoring his commitment and talent, that is all well and good, but that doesn't merit retiring the character and denying anyone else to put their stamp on the character and carrying it forward.

kefrank

I somewhat understand what you're getting at in a general sense, but no one's livelihood was put in jeopardy by his actions. That's just not at all how the movie industry works. Greenlit movies get canceled and delayed all the time for reasons much less significant than an actor's death and everyone keeps working.

tanman

Again is that a choice you could so easily make if it were you? Easy to type on a keyboard and point fingers but when it's actually you in the hot seat making those decisions it becomes a different story. And the multihundred million dollar production of Wakanda Forever blows that thought out of the water.

RocShemp

It's not a case of pointing fingers. It's just the vibe that comes across. As I said previously, I get his keeping it quiet. However, given how large this all is, beyond him and his family, I feel it would have been right for him to offer a courteous heads up to those in charge.

Yes, the sequel is still very much a big production. But the headache of working around him would have been lessened if a contingency had been in place ahead of time. That said, I am glad it seems they may have pulled it off regardless.

Also, I'd like to clarify that I'm not hating on Boseman. I wish he was still around and thriving with his family and in his career. However, I still feel that Jason's previously stated unpopular opinion is valid.

Josh-da-man

And yet the second Black Panther movie is coming out less than five years after the first one -- and that's including the year-long pandemic shut-down -- and only two years after Boseman's death. Nobody's livelihood was in jeopardy; the MCU beast just kept chugging along like nothing happened.

I'm sure that Boseman though he could beat his illness. He looked healthy in Black Panther and both the Avengers movies he was in. Nobody had any idea he was battling anything until a few photos of him looking thin and sickly showed up online. Is he supposed to drop out of the MCU because he might die in the next five to ten years? He's still pulling himself out of the MCU and they still would have had to work around that just as if he had died.

And actors, like everyone else, can die at any time. They can just keel over dead from natural causes. Suffer a sudden onset illness. They can overdose. They can die in accidents. They can die in plane crashes. They can drown while on vacation with their families. It's an inherent risk with any venture.

dex14

This is a She-Hulk thread. Wakanda Forever is out this week, take the discussion to that thread, please.

RocShemp

Again, no, I didn't expect him to quit. And I am glad the Black Panther section of the MCU is showing no signs of slowing down. My only issue is that I personally feel (A) he should have been upfront with the people who hired him as a form of common courtesy given their investment in him (after all he might have died during filming, despite his belief that he was in remission), and that (B) the character should have been recast afterafter his tragic passing.

RocShemp

Sorry. I just posted my reply before I saw yours.

Josh-da-man

Maybe move the thread drift over there, then?