Marvel Studios really shook things up when it announced that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to its cinematic universe as Victor Von Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. While his involvement has been officially confirmed, Josh Brolin says he is open to reprising his role as Thanos, even if it means bending to the will of Anthony and Joe Russo, who are directing the project.
“I’m not kidding. There’s a thing with playing Thanos. It’s like, ‘Oh, they’re gonna bring Thanos back.’ It’s like Sicario, it has to be right,” Brolin told Collider, referring to the 2015 action thriller film. “It’s like Ryan Reynolds and I talking about Taylor Swift, and we should be talking about Deadpool 4. But we go back and forth. Again, it’s what in his mind fits, what in my mind fits. Thanos has to fit if you’re going to bring him back. I would do anything that the Russos wanted me to do.”
When Brolin was asked if the studio had reached out, he coughed, but did not offer an answer. Actors involved with Marvel are trained to avoid questions about the when, why, who, and how of the projects they are linked to. So, the actor’s lack of response could mean absolutely anything. The Amazing Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield expertly side-stepped questions about whether he would cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and fans were happy to see his version of Peter Parker team up with Tobey Maguire’s Spidey and current web-slinger Tom Holland.
Thanos was introduced to the MCU as a behind-the-scenes threat who was slowly revealed to be the mastermind driving the various conflicts that plagued the Avengers. The Mad Titan manipulated events from the shadows, providing Loki with the Chitauri army to invade Earth and working with other villains to collect the Infinity Stones he needed to wipe out half of the universe’s population. This even led him to sacrifice his daughter Gamora to obtain the Soul Stone.
By the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos succeeds in collecting all six Infinity Stones and, with a snap of his fingers, carries out his evil plan. When Avengers: Endgame was released, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes figured out how to go back in time (or whatever convoluted thing the writers came up with) to collect all the Infinity Stones so they could stop Thanos. Eventually, Iron Man uses the infinity gauntlet to snap Thanos and his army out of existence, sacrificing himself in the process.
Although Thanos was destroyed, Brolin’s potential return to the superhero franchise created a buzz on social media. Reactions were a little mixed as some fans were happy, while others hated the idea. On the flip side, Jeremy Renner recently said the original Avengers would return in a heartbeat if Downey asked them to. For now, though, Brolin making a comeback could mean that Avengers: Secret Wars would see Doctor Doom seizing power over what’s left of the collapsed universes, just like the comic arc of the same name. That’s when Thanos shows up to challenge him.
Published: Oct 29, 2024 02:10 pm