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Part 3: Marvel’s Real Endgame

Saying that Marvel has been making a lot of money off of its movies would be quite the understatement. The total box office earnings of all its movies exceed the GDP of all major countries.



That the Marvel franchise continues to go strong ten years and counting is nothing short of a miracle, though it raises the question how long this success can last.



While the biggest advantage of the movies is that they make more money than the comics, their biggest disadvantage is that their superheroes, or rather, the actors who play them, are not quite as timeless.



Unlike the superheroes in their comics, who are made from ink and paint, the superheroes in their movies are portrayed by flesh and blood actors who age and grow old, unlike their comic book counterparts who remain ageless and timeless.



Even if the MCU were to continue on for another ten years, the same cannot be said for their actors, especially since many of them will see their contracts expire after the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.



And even if we assume that Chris Evans and the others are willing to extend their contracts, it’s only a matter of time until they become old enough that they tire of their roles and decide to retire.



At that point, assuming that the MCU continues to keep going on strong, Marvel will be left with a dilemma of what to do with their franchise, and they will be left with two potential options: either reboot the entire MCU from scratch, or replace the old characters with new actors.



Considering how much the MCU films have defined the genre, it would almost seem unthinkable to reboot the entire franchise; and considering how much audiences have become attached to the characters and the actors who portray them, replacing them with new actors seems almost equally unthinkable.

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But what if there was a third option: what if the franchise were allowed to continue by having the older characters pass on their mantles to new, younger characters to serve as their successors?



We’re already seeing a sliver of this concept with Tony Stark taking young Peter Parker under his wing as a superhero-in-training. And with Captain Marvel set to make her film debut, she could very well end up taking up a certain young Pakistani teenager as a protégé in the near future.



And with rumors that many characters are expected to bite the dust in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, the movie could serve as a stepping off point for minor characters to carry on the torch for major characters.



Like what if Sam Wilson were to take up Steve Roger’s shield and title as the new Captain America? Or Jane Foster were to reunite with Thor and take claim of his hammer as the new Thor? The possibilities are as infinite as the movie.



I can’t officially speak for Marvel, so I don’t know if this is what they have in mind; but if it is, I wouldn’t be surprised to say the least.



Marvel clearly has a real money train going with its movies, and while that train isn’t slowing down anytime soon, it clearly wants to keep that train going for a long time, even after its original actors eventually leave.



So who knows? Perhaps by then, once the MCU launches phase five, we’ll be seeing an older Peter Parker leading a new group of Avengers including such superheroes as Kamala Khan, Riri Williams, Kate Bishop, America Chavez, and maybe even Squirrel Girl.



And if that’s really the route that the Marvel movies will be taking, wouldn’t that be better than seeing the whole MCU end? If this is the end game of Marvel’s SJW agenda, then I, for one, welcome our new feminist overlords!