Multiple actors have played the likes of Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman over the years, but there are some superhero roles that haven’t been recast yet. Because of this, some actors are more synonymous with their comic book characters than others. Robert Downey Jr. may be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play Doctor Doom, but everyone knows he is Iron Man. Hugh Jackman has made the part of Wolverine his own for over 25 years. As great as these actors have been bringing their iconic characters to life, all signs are pointing to recasts at some point. But one of the most prominent stars in the MCU can’t see it.
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Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland, recently appeared with his The Odyssey co-star Matt Damon in a video for Complex where the two shared their picks for the GOAT in various categories. As an aside during the superhero discussion, Holland shared his thoughts on recasting Iron Man and Wolverine. “There are only three people, I think, who have ever really done this. And it’s [Matt Damon], Downey, and Hugh Jackman,” he said. “No one wants to play Jason Bourne, no one wants to play Iron Man, and no one wants to play Wolverine. I’m the third person to play Spider-Man. There’s been lots of Batmans, there’s been lots of Supermans … but there are only a few characters in our industry where it feels like, ‘just leave them be.’”
Some Marvel Fans Agree With Tom Holland, But Iron Man & Wolverine Will Likely Be Recast
On social media, fans have been reacting to Holland’s comments, and there’s a healthy debate unfolding. Some are quoting the famous “until you’re 90” joke from Deadpool & Wolverine, feeling that Marvel will keep these actors around for a long, long time. “Yeah, those two basically owned those roles forever,” added one user on X. “I agree. I think sometime these characters have been played so perfectly by an actor that the character should be retired,” said another. However, there are just as many people who believe characters like Iron Man and Wolverine are larger than one actor, saying superheroes are meant to be reinvented and rebooted as time goes on.
It would appear that none other than Kevin Feige agrees with the latter group. Last year, he openly spoke about Marvel eventually recasting fan-favorite heroes like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, comparing it to James Bond. As Feige alluded to, there was a point in time where it seemed impossible to see anyone other than Sean Connery as 007, but there have been five others (with a sixth on the way soon) who have all put their own stamp on the role. There have been multiple Superman actors since the 1970s, multiple Batman actors since the 1980s, and multiple Spider-Man actors since the 2000s. Recasting characters is nothing new for Hollywood. There’s a lot of precedent out there that shows this can work.
That doesn’t mean it will be easy. Downey as Tony Stark was one of the most perfect casting choices in film history. From the very beginning, he did a phenomenal job conveying the character’s personality and complexities, instantly giving Marvel a magnetic star to build their burgeoning cinematic universe around. It’s difficult to imagine the MCU becoming Hollywood’s biggest franchise without Downey. Jackman’s Wolverine pre-dates Downey; the original X-Men film helped usher in the comic book movie boom of the 21st century. Jackman won over the skeptics (there were concerns about his height when compared to the Wolverine from the comics) by constantly delivering strong, layered performances that showcased Wolverine’s ferocity.
Finding actors to follow Downey and Jackman’s footsteps will likely be a long, arduous process, and there’s the potential for people to turn the roles down because of those legacies. If actors are leery about tackling Patrick Bateman in an American Psycho remake because they don’t want to be in Christian Bale’s shadow, one can only imagine how they’d feel about taking over for Robert Downey Jr. At least in the case of Wolverine, Marvel could theoretically make Dafne Keen’s Laura, already a fan favorite thanks to Logan, one of the faces of the MCU. There isn’t an obvious replacement in waiting for Iron Man, which will make recasting a difficult task. All that said, casting has always been one of the strengths of the MCU, so perhaps they’ll knock this out of the park.
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