Marvel Studios is mastering their incredible deaging technology and should apply it to an even larger degree. Over the last several years, MCU movies have brought different versions of known characters to the big screen through the use of visual effects. As they continue to show the capability to pull this off, there's several other projects that Marvel should apply this technology to.
This practice began in Ant-Man and The Wasp had young Hank again and a young Janet van Dyne, played by Michelle Pfeiffer.
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Next up, fresh recruit version of Phil Coulson. Now that Marvel's going all-in with deaging and using it on major characters for the duration of a film, there's some exciting possibilities to explore. Let's talk about a few.
- This Page: Prequels The MCU Has Already Teased
- Page 2: Prequels For Major MCU Characters
Original Ant-Man and Wasp
Since their appearances are fresh in our minds, giving Hank and Janet a movie is the most obvious pick for what Marvel needs to do next. Their adventures have been teased in both of the Ant-Man films, but they haven't really gone beyond the 1987 mission to disarm a Soviet missile. Neither of the movies have directly said how long they were heroes before this either, so there's potentially years of stories ready for exploration. Making this even more unique could be the 80s (or even late-70s) setting such a film could take. Marvel explored the 1940s with Captain America: The First Avenger and will tackle the 1990s in Captain Marvel, so this movie could open up another untapped time period in the MCU's history.
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Marvel already has the reference points for Douglas and Pfeiffer anyways, so it'd just be a matter of utilizing them for an entire movie instead of brief scenes. Even though such a prequel wouldn't have the franchise's two main stars, a chance to see Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne in their primes as heroes is fascinating. They could even bring back Laurence Fishburne to play a young Bill Foster, maybe even showing him suit up finally. Plus, depending on when in the timeline it would take place, this could be another opportunity for Hayley Atwell to appear as Peggy Carter. There's even a chance to further explore Egghead, who was barely more than a name drop in Ant-Man and The Wasp. Considering Michael Douglas already expressed his interest in this idea, hopefully Marvel jumps at this opportunity.
Stallone's Guardians Prequel
One of the coolest possibilities, though, would be a Guardians of the Galaxy prequel/spinoff that also takes place decades in the past centered around Sylvester Stallone and Michael Rooker. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 did a lot of set up and expanding of the cosmos, including the introduction of Stallone as Starkar Ogord aka Starhawk. The sequel established a shaky past between he and Rooker's Yondu, one that in the past was rooted in friendship, or some form of brotherhood. By the end of the film, we learn that this went far beyond just Starhawk and Yondu, and that they were actually part of a space traveling group all their own. The rest of the group is composed of Aleta Ogord (Michelle Yeoh), Charlie-27 (Ving Rhames), Martinex (Michael Rosenbaum), Mainframe (Miley Cyrus), and Krugarr. There's been teases by James Gunn that the group could return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or even a spinoff following the crew in the present, but taking them back to their heyday could be the better option.
Such a movie would obviously give Marvel the chance to show younger versions of Rooker, Stallone, Yeoh, and Rhames. Stallone is still a big name at this point in his career, but the prequel setting allows for Rooker to return naturally after becoming a fan favorite in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 prior to his death. While there's certainly potential for some of these characters to be explored in present day films, a prequel could really flesh out their ties to one another. If done successfully, this film could make Yondu's sendoff even more emotional since fans would then have an understanding of all the good times. Plus, who doesn't want to see a deaged Stallone in Starhawk's full get up fighting aliens? And if Marvel really wanted to double down on the deaging, cameos from a younger Ego or maybe even Benicio Del Toro as the Collector could work.
Page 2 of 2: Prequels For Major Marvel Characters
Nick Fury or A S.H.I.E.L.D. Prequel
If Marvel Studios likes what Captain Marvel produces though, then another project that features the younger Nick Fury could come. A Nick Fury movie was actually part of Marvel Studios' initial lineup of titles, but the project never made much progress. Even though Jackson is now ten years older than he was when he first took on this role, the deaging technology would allow him to re-explore the character through a younger lens. Captain Marvel could fill in enough gaps to make a true standalone a bit redundant, but even then, a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie could work instead. It could be similar in tone and execution as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but also allow for a much larger cast of recurring characters.
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This could once again be an opportunity to bring back Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, maybe even in a time period where she's still able to get in on the action. The return of Hank Pym could be featured too - if our previously proposed Hank and Janet prequel doesn't happen. Maybe the best option, however, could be either concept's ability to bring back Robert Redford as a younger Alexander Pierce, further setting up their relationship prior to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. If they really wanted to pack this film, Cobie Smulders's Maria Hill could appear too as a new recruit. Whether it comes in a Fury solo movie or a movie focused on the earlier days of S.H.I.E.L.D., Jackson playing a younger version of Fury is an interesting change for the character. In either film, the ing cast could warrant more familiar faces that are changed through the deaging tech.
Black Widow
Out of these suggestions, linked Sebastian Stan's Winter Soldier to the film too. Similar to Johansson, deaging Stan isn't totally necessary. There are ways to make each look younger practically if the difference is more noticeable than expected too. Instead, the deaging could come with its ing characters.
The plot of Black Widow reportedly follows her early days as she flees to the United States and prior to her days as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. However, the movie could still deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. in some regard. The usual cast of characters we've mentioned before could certainly appear, especially a pre-Phase 1 looking Nick Fury. If there is one additional possibility that comes with Black Widow, it may be with Jeremy Renner returning as Clint Barton. While there were recent rumblings of a possible Hawkeye solo movie, this would be his most natural way to fit in. Some slight deaging effects could be utilized in this instance, but there aren't any major characters who could use these enhancements. So, Black Widow isn't reliant on this technology, but could be given a few extra MCU connections by using it.
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These are just a few possibilities though and smaller additions could be included in other movies. Marvel's invested a lot of time and resources in making this an effective part of their movies, so as long as they can continue to pull them off, expect more deaging in the MCU's future.
