A Quirky Line In Avengers: Infinity War Came From A Moment Of Improv
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is having a rough time lately. After being inundated with Marvel media in recent years, audiences had basically been given too much of the MCU, and things were getting ridiculous. Marvel Studios head and the chief architect of this shared universe, Kevin Feige, had basically saturated the marketplace with movies and streaming shows to the extent he'd essentially devalued the currency of the MCU. Ultimately, way too much Marvel became the company's kryptonite.
Thankfully, it seems Feige and Co. are trying their best to course-correct, with just one MCU movie scheduled for 2024: "Deadpool 3." Existing projects have reportedly been undergoing rewrites, and upcoming streaming shows will seemingly adopt a more grounded approach to the source material, as was the case with the action-packed "Echo," which debuted on Disney+ in January, 2024. Whether any of this will manage to restore the MCU to its former glory remains to be seen. But amid all this talk of the "downfall" of Feige's shared universe, it's easy to forget just how good we had it during the glory years.
For more than a decade, the MCU was a box office and cultural force to be reckoned with, producing hit after hit and entertaining audiences the world over with its blend of action, heart, and humor — the latter of which shouldn't be downplayed. Since 2008's "Iron Man" kicked things off, the MCU has never taken itself so seriously that its characters can't have a laugh while they're saving the world. In fact, the filmmakers behind some of the best MCU films have frequently encouraged a bit of comedic improv from the actors, as was the case with 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War."
Humor has always been central to the MCU's success
Many Marvel fans will no doubt fondly recall shared moments chuckling at one of the many, many ... many quips peppered throughout the MCU canon. Humor has always been a trademark of the franchise, but it really ratcheted up after Joss Whedon came onboard to helm the first two "Avengers" films, bringing his signature comedic sensibility to both projects. That style then radiated throughout the MCU, initially helping to set Marvel's shared universe apart from DC's typically gloomy offerings.
Ultimately, however, these quips, one-liners, and lighthearted moments started to get a tad grating, with several MCU jokes revealing themselves to have aged badly. But it's not fair to say that the humor was always a negative. In fact, it often made for some of the MCU's most memorable moments. Hulk absolutely ragdolling Loki at the end of "The Avengers?" Surely we all remember that fondly.
But not all MCU jokes came from the pen of Joss Whedon, or even from the scripts themselves. In "Avengers: Infinity War," for instance, a moment between Chris Evans' Captain America and Chris Hemsworth's Thor was completely improvised ... sort of. During the big fight in Wakanda, where the Avengers take on a horde of Outriders, Thor arrives to help his friends, laying waste to hundreds of the encroaching aliens before greeting his old pal Steve Rogers. In that moment, Cap says to the God of Thunder "New haircut?" to which Thor replies, "Notice you've copied my beard." It's hardly a laugh-out-loud moment but it's an endearing exchange between the two former colleagues, made even more endearing for the fact it was all Evans and Hemsworth's idea.
Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans added their own lines
According to Entertainment Weekly, who reported from the Atlanta set of "Infinity War" back in 2018, it was Chris Evans that first suggested some friendly banter between Cap and Thor. The way EW reported it, Evans told his co-star between takes, "I'll be like, 'Short hair now? Good choice,'" before Chris Hemsworth suggested, "I'll go, 'Yours too. The beard. Very rugged,'" The outlet noted that the pair were "still workshopping it as they [went] back in front of the cameras," and as we know, the idea evolved slightly from that point, becoming the more succinct back and forth we saw in the final cut. In that sense, the brief conversation wasn't necessarily in-the-moment improv, but it certainly came from the actors and not the script.
These days, quippy Marvel dialogue of this sort has become somewhat of a joke in and of itself, with the studio often leaning on humor to the extent that it undermines the drama of a story. But little moments like this between Cap and Thor were never really the problem, and served their purpose as a way to endear audiences to the characters. That said, I really hope the upcoming "Daredevil: Born Again" retains the gritty tone of the "Daredevil" Netflix show and doesn't come littered with gags and goofs. Kevin Feige certainly seems to be trying his best to course-correct of late, and the new Marvel Spotlight banner, introduced with "Echo" back in January, certainly speaks to that effort to make more character-focused dramas.
Still, let's hope the humor that was an essential part of the MCU formula since the beginning isn't about to be sapped completely from the franchise and we get a better balance going forward.