For anyone wondering what kind of hoops an actor signing on to be part of the MCU has to jump through, Chris Hemsworth has recently given us a hint.
While speaking recently at the Supanova convention in Australia, the man behind Thor made a comment stating that it was “illegal” for a Marvel Studios actor to appear in a DC Comics movie. Now, let’s be honest here, Hemsworth was probably joking when using the word “illegal,” but the sentiment is true enough. Disney and Marvel do not want to see their big name actors working for DC (or the “distinguished competition” as they are sometimes jokingly referred to at Marvel). Which makes sense for a number of reasons. The most important being brand recognition. It would be weird for an audience member to suddenly see the actor playing Thor or Captain America in a DCEU film (especially since they do not wear masks), and kids especially might just assume that they are still playing their MCU part in the DCEU film.
As Comic Book pointed out though, it is interesting to note that the same rule does not hold true for other comic book movie companies. For example, Josh Brolin is crossing universes by playing Thanos in the upcoming ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and he will also be playing Cable in ‘Deadpool 2’ and the ‘X-Force’ movies that are sure to follow that for 20th Century Fox. True, the 20th Century Fox ‘X-Men’ films are still in the Marvel family (though not the MCU), but it is still strange in my opinion. Unless the rules are just different for actors playing villains, especially villains that the company knows will not be around much longer (I cannot image Thanos being in any more films post the ‘Infinity Wars.’)
What are your thoughts on the restrictions Marvel/Disney puts on their actors? Do you agree with the logic, or does it seem a little crazy? Share your thoughts on the matter in the comments below!
