The Disturbing Truth Behind Avengers: Infinity War

5. And They're Going To Struggle To Replace The Ones They DO Kill

In the comics, legacy characters are no big deal: Thor has been replaced, Iron Man has been replaced, Captain America has been replaced several times, Spider-Man has, Doctor Strange wasn't always the Sorceror Supreme, there's more than one Black Widow... It's just a fact of the longevity and evolution of comic books.

While we've been told that recasting IS an option, it seems to be much more likely in fans' eyes at least that other characters will simply take up the mantle (or at least the status and position) of the characters who fall. So Bucky or Falcon could become Captain America, Valkyrie could step into Thor's shoes, Shuri could become the new Iron Man surrogate (she already is)...

But think about that for a moment. As a business, Marvel Studios know that abandoning incredibly valuable brands like Iron Man and Captain America - both billion dollar properties - is suicidal. But in the words of Kevin Feige - who was asked about recasting not so long ago - they face a problem in terms of any transition to another actor playing those roles:

"Luckily we don't have to make that decision anytime soon. There are a lot of movies that everyone is signed on for, and we get to enjoy them for a long time. Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man, and right now I can't envision anyone else. Chris Evans has embodied Captain America as well as any actor has ever embodied an iconic pop-culture figure like that. I go back to Chris Reeve as Superman as the gold standard, and I think Evans is right there. I couldn't imagine anybody else."

When the literal God of Marvel Studios is saying that, you have to be concerned. So while fans might want to see more Iron Man and Cap films, they - like Feige - will have to contend with the looming presences of the actors who played them first. It just won't be the same.