Avengers: Infinity War gave us a major surprise with the return of the Red Skull. The snap at the end totally stunned the world but the biggest surprise has to be Red Skull! As we all are familiar with the history of Red Skull, he was sucked into the cosmos back in the 40s during World War II, and now he returned as the stone keeper on Vormir guiding Thanos to the Soul Stone. But the big question that everyone has is whether the Red Skull will return in Avengers 4.
Thanos getting the Soul Stone freed Red Skull of the curse, and he could surely return in some way or form in a future film. But does Marvel intend for him to return, or was he there in Infinity War just for fanservice? This question might be answered properly in Avengers 4, but we may or may not have gotten the answer to this by actor ‘The Walking Dead’ star Ross Marquand who played Red Skull in Infinity War.
Ross Marquand picked up his role after Hugo Weaving was not interested in returning as the character. Weaving had a movie left in his contract, but Marvel brought Marquand instead as Weaving did not want to return for the role.
Since they cast a new actor for a short appearance, it could mean that the Red Skull was there for a short appearance, but it could also mean that Marquand got a multiple project contract from Marvel. When he was asked about reprising his role in Avengers 4, here’s what he said:
“I don’t know. I can’t answer that question. I really don’t know.”
We could take this statement anyway as the actor neither confirmed nor denied his involvement. The fact that he said “I can’t answer that question” could actually mean that he will return, but then again, we cannot be a 100% sure. Earlier this year, EW asked him about how he managed to keep it all a secret before Infinity War. He said:
“I didn’t tell anybody. These NDAs on these things are no joke! I literally did not tell anybody until it was out. It is tough to keep those secrets. Like with The Walking Dead, I think I was silent for seven months before I told anyone about that. With this, it was about six months. And it’s tough because you’re so excited to tell everyone about these amazing worlds that you’re about to become a part of, but you can’t tell anybody.”
He actually did not even tell this to his co-star on The Walking Dead, Danai Gurira who played Okoye in Avengers: Infinity War. Here’s what he said about his approach to the character:
“The biggest thing that Marvel wanted to do was come as close to the iconic role that Hugo Weaving portrayed seven years ago and pay homage to it while also giving it a new flavor. Once Red Skull touched the Tesseract, he goes into this intergalactic astral plane for 70 years. And as the Russo brothers pointed out to me — because I was trying to do a straight voice match to Hugo’s performance — they said, ‘You know, he’s been by himself essentially in this intergalactic prison of his own making for 70 years. He’s going to sound a little different. We want him to have this kind of ethereal almost ghost-like quality to his voice, so please try that.’ I think the reference they might have given is Yoda-esque. His ambition has brought him this great pain, but also this great wisdom, and I think that’s what I tried to imbue that performance with.”
If he returns in Avengers 4, he could actually be set up for a future appearance in the Falcon & Winter Soldier show that is being developed for Disney+. He and Baron Zemo could form a formidable villains’ duo to take on the two prospects for the mantle of Captain America. Let’s see what happens in the future of the MCU. Avengers 4 opens on May 3, 2019.
Here’s the official Synopsis:
“A culmination of 22 interconnected films the fourth installment of the Avengers saga will draw audiences to witness the turning point of this epic journey. Our beloved heroes will truly understand how fragile this reality is and the sacrifices that must be made to uphold it.”
