Marvel Cinematic Universe: All Movies That De-Aged Characters
Marvel Studios has not been shy when it comes to using de-aging technology. Speaking generally, it all began in the mid-80s with Fox’s X-Men: The Last Stand being the first movie to use it. But when it comes to the MCU, it has actually become a rather repetitive method. But even so, has worked in the favor of the studio. It’s used for the flashback sequences. So by using this tech, the Studio does not necessarily have to hire a younger actor. Here are all Marvel movies that de-aged characters using CGI. Take a look:
1. Ant-Man
Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man was the first movie to use de-aging technology. The movie was released in 2015 but had to recreate a 1989 scene. As you remember, Hank Pym hands his resignation to S.H.I.E.L.D. once he realized that the organization was trying to replicate the Pym Particles. Michael Douglas was made to look younger in this scene. Another actor who fell in the same category was Martin Donovan who played Mitchell Carson. On the other hand, Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter was aged in appearance to make her look like she’s 60.
2. Captain America: Civil War
In the next year, the same technology was used on Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War. During his M.I.T. keynote speech, he introduced a fictional invention known as Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing/B.A.R.F. This device creates a holographic illusion that helps humans deal with their trauma and grief. Similarly, Tony used this to recreate his last interaction with his parents Howard and Maria before they were killed by the Winter Soldier in 1992.
3. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
The team of rag-tag heroes returned in James Gunn’s sequel in 2017. After dealing with Ronin and protecting Xandar, they encountered Ego the Living Planet played by Kurt Russell. He is the biological father of Peter Quill. So as the movie dived into Ego’s past, they de-aged Russell to depict his relationship with Meredith Quill. This resulted in her pregnancy and the subsequent birth of Star-Lord in the 1980s.
4. Ant-Man And The Wasp
Douglas was once again de-aged as Hank Pym in the Ant-Man sequel. The movie also made Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet van Dyne younger for their respective scenes. Douglas was made to look much younger to establish him as the real shrinking hero. The scene featured them in flashback moments covering their personal relationships and their works.
5. Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel changed the concept of de-aging technology. Up until this point, Marvel was using the tech in small doses. But that changed with this movie as Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury was de-aged for the entire film. He was accompanied by Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson. They were featured in Marvel’s Phase 1 late which is set in the late 2000s to early 2010s. The movie is set in 1995 and it also tells how Fury came up with the Avengers initiative.
6. Avengers: Endgame
Captain Marvel was just the beginning for Marvel as things got serious in Avengers: Endgame. In order to procure the Tesseract, Iron man and Captain America traveled back to the 70s. The movie also featured a younger-looking Douglas’ Hank and Slattery’s Howard Stark. Moreover, we also got to see Stan Lee’s final MCU cameo before passing away in 2018.
7. Black Widow
Black Widow is Marvel’s first film of their Phase 4. The movie was received well by the fans but it did have some shortcomings. However, if we strictly speak of the use of de-aging technology, then the movie was no stranger to it. David Harbour’s Alexie Shoshtakov/ Red Guardian was the one who was de-aged. In the 1995 Ohio flashback, Natasha and Yelena were finally given to the Red Room. In the process, we saw a young Red Guardian who was in his prime dealing with General Dreykov.
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home
The world is waiting for Spider-Man: No Way Home that is set to release on December 17, 2021. The reason for that is it will be the biggest multiverse event in the MCU with many villains returning. The one that particularly excites us is Doctor Ock from Sam Raimi’s trilogy played by Alfred Molina. The Studio has done a marvelous job in keeping the plot under the wraps. So Molina took it upon himself to confirm his return. But in the process, he also confirmed that he will be de-aged for the film. Well, it makes sense because he appeared in the franchise in 2004. So he might need some serious de-aging for his role. Anyway, it’s great news nonetheless!
So these were all the MCU movies that de-aged characters. Which of these de-aging tactics have been your favorites? Let us know in the comments.
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