While the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s most recent offerings have come under heavy fire from critics and fans after the vast majority of them resolutely failed to live up to the hype, the franchise’s most pressing issues are perhaps unfolding entirely offscreen.
It’s been common knowledge for years that VFX artists are among the most overworked and underpaid creatives in the entire industry, and there are no shortage of reports emanating from Marvel Studios that paint the picture of a hellish work environment, something that was brought into sharper focus than ever before in the wake of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Not a lot of people in positions of power have stood up and fought on behalf of the digital wizards to ensure they were fairly compensated for their work, but you know who did? Only Hollywood’s most wholesome star and freshly-minted Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser.
In an eye-opening Twitter thread, it was revealed that the actor took it upon himself to ensure the team behind Journey to the Center of the Earth ended up getting the money they were due, despite their initial pleas falling on completely deaf ears. It took two years for the crew to get adequate recompense, but Fraser was with them every step of the way.
Now that every film and television project he appears in from here on out will be slapped with the “starring Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser” label, the resurgent star will have his pick of the projects. As much as fans would love to see him pop up in the MCU, especially after Batgirl nuked his shot at supervillainy, maybe Kevin Feige won’t be so keen on giving him a job when he’s got previous for going out of his way to make sure the VFX team get what they’re owed.
