The original actors of the first ‘The Avengers’ film got matching tattoos to celebrate the release of their film ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ten years in the industry.
Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans all got a letter “A” with the number six drawn across it.
Six was chosen to reflect the number of superheroes who appeared in ‘The Avengers’ film in 2012.
It was the film that initially assembled the actors together in their roles as Black Widow, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk.
The actor who played Hulk, however, chose not to get inked, Downey Jr. revealed in an interview.
He added that it was Johansson’s idea. She and Evans got the tattoo in New York and the tattoo artist flew to Los Angeles to ink the others as well. Hemsworth, Downey Jr. said, was “bullied” by the others into getting one.
The success of ‘The Avengers’ franchise and MCU
The actors have every right to celebrate their film.
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ had its worldwide premiere on April 23 at Los Angeles, USA. It is part of the MCU franchise that started in 2008 with ‘Iron Man.’
The film has topped ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and ‘Star Wars’ in America’s box office, having a domestic sales of $461.4 million.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and ‘Star Wars’ earned $459 and $460 million, respectively.
In total, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ has reached a whopping amount of $1,198,890,925 worldwide. It is currently considered the “all-time highest-grossing” film in the Philippines.
The film remains to be phenomenal since it is released on the same year that MCU is marking its ten years in the industry.
According to VOX, “When people talk about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they’re not only referring to the 18 movies Marvel has produced over the past 10 years, but also the shared place where all these fictional characters exist.”
They noted that it is a “cinematic rarity” for a studio to create a “10-year continuous filmic narrative for dozens of characters.”
The continuous arc of MCU’s characters has appealed to the public, especially the comic book-loving audience. It was the same strategy that Stan Lee has incorporated into his titles.
MCU’s storytelling also evolved from its origin films to those showing the superheroes’ complex and vulnerable side like ‘Iron Man 3,’ ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier,’ and ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron.’
They added, “But the shift also stems from audiences and critics searching for deeper meaning in superhero films.”
From narratives of superheroes exhibiting great power, MCU has shifted to the perspective of showing if “great responsibility alone is enough to contain great power.”
The attachment to superhero roles
The success of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ — and the whole MCU franchise — would not be entirely possible if it weren’t for the actors themselves.
Scarlett Johansson, who plays Black Widow, revealed that she loves playing a superhero since it’s “an interesting journey” that allows her to “grow” with the character throughout the years.
She’s the one who suggested that the original ‘Avengers’ actors get matching tattoos to commemorate their bond and longevity in the franchise.
The members of the ‘Avengers’ running away from an attack in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’. (Walt Disney Pictures/Released)
She said in an interview, “I really like playing Natasha; playing the Black Widow. It’s been an interesting journey, to take a character and grow it over these years, and peel the layers back and be able to, as you do in life, grow with this person.”
“It’s a character that’s really enigmatic and has an amazing origins story, so there’s a lot for me to play off of,” the actress shared.
She added that being with talented actors “is not a bad company to be in.”
Robert Downey Jr., who plays Iron Man, shared that it’s all about the people involved in the project.
He said, “It’s this cyclical thing. I could have said when the first Avengers came out: ‘It’s never going to get any better than that. Everybody stop.’ But to me it’s always about people and opportunities, like the Russos, who I adore.”
