How Katherine Langford’s Morgan Stark Can Return In The MCU’s Future

Katherine Langford could still return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, potentially even as Morgan Stark. Katherine Langford’s star is rising; the young actress shot to fame as the star of 13 Reasons Why, and has recently demonstrated her range and skill with Cursed, where she played a twisted version of the Lady of the Lake. In addition, she came within a hair’s breadth of entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe, filming a scene for Avengers: Endgame alongside Robert Downey Jr. After some speculation, it was eventually revealed that she was cast as an older version of Morgan Stark, Iron Man’s daughter.

The scene, which saw Tony Stark experience a vision of Morgan inside the Soul World after completing his own version of the snap to defeat Thanos, was cut from the movie. It was a wise decision; it interrupted the narrative, and test audiences found it confusing. Still, Langord was disappointed to be cut from the MCU, and she’s made it clear she’d love to join the franchise in an official scene – potentially reprising the role of Morgan Stark.

Marvel has given no indication Langford’s hopes will be fulfilled, but frankly that’s no surprise; the coronavirus pandemic has brought Hollywood screeching to a halt, with even Marvel Studios forced to put their plans on hold. They’re probably currently focused on just getting their next few films and Disney+ TV shows back into production, and planning out how any further delays could affect the Phase 4 slate. But Marvel would be foolish to waste the potential of this up-and-coming actress, so just how could they bring Langford – and Morgan Stark – back?

Time Travel Could Bring Back Langford’s Morgan Stark

Avengers: Endgame saw Tony Stark figure out how to travel through time, and Marvel could use that same plot device to bring Langford’s Morgan Stark into the present-day MCU. The comics are filled with time travelers from the future, who journeyed back in time in order to course-correct history. Alternatively, Marvel Studios could choose to make Morgan’s story parallel her father’s, because she initially uses time travel to attempt to meet her own dad, but gets the temporal coordinates a little wrong. It’s reasonable to assume Morgan will be as whipcrack smart as Tony, so there’s no reason she couldn’t work out how to access the Quantum Realm.

This story would work best done sooner rather than later, and unfortunately it wouldn’t really fit with any of the Phase 4 slate. That isn’t necessarily a problem, though, because Morgan Stark’s story could easily be told on Disney+ instead. Marvel appear particularly interested in developing various members of the Young Avengers on Disney+, with reports of Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, the twins Wiccan and Speed, the shapeshifting Hulkling, and Miss America; Ant-Man & the Wasp “planted seeds” for Cassie Lang to become Stature, another member of the team. In the comics, one of the Young Avengers was a time traveler called Iron Lad, and Morgan could easily become a gender-swapped version of that character.

Marvel Could Use Morgan Stark In The Future

Another option is to present a vision of the MCU’s future, one in which heroes or villains catch a glimpse of an older Morgan Stark. This could easily be incorporated into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where the future Sorcerer Supreme is likely to find himself traveling the Winding Ways that take mystics through time and space. This is an intriguing idea, because – depending on the scale of the vision – it could potentially be used to tease dramatic changes in the MCU’s coming status quo. Conceptually the idea is similar to the much-derided visions of Thor in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which were intended to signpost the coming battle against Thanos. This could only ever be a teaser, though, because Langford is a young actress, and she will undoubtedly have aged by the time the MCU begins to explore its version of the 2030s in detail. Thus this would likely mean the teenage Morgan Stark would need to be recast in the end, because of the relentless ticking of the clock.

It’s Good That Avengers: Endgame Cut Iron Man’s Soulworld Scene

Could Marvel Do An Extended Version Of Endgame, Or A One-Shot?

It’s become clear Marvel Studios shot a lot of footage for Avengers: Endgame that they didn’t use in the end, particularly from the third act. The final battle against Thanos appears to have been heavily edited, particularly as regards a mysterious “Battle of the Air” that was completely cut in order to focus on the action on the ground. Marvel could potentially choose to create an extended edition of Avengers: Endgame incorporating some of this footage, and perhaps including Iron Man’s vision of the older Morgan Stark. Alternatively, they could choose to create one of their famous one-shots for Disney+, perhaps even one starring the older Morgan Stark as she recalls her father’s sacrifice. It’s true either of these approaches would be unusual for Marvel; they’ve never released an extended edition before, and the one-shot program was discontinued in 2014. But these aren’t normal times, and Disney will no doubt want to get something in production sooner rather than later. They have a wealth of unused footage that can be stitched together into new content, meaning only a few scenes would need to be filmed afresh.

Marvel Could Hire Katherine Langford For Another Role

The final option is simply to hire Katherine Langford for another part. She only appeared in a deleted scene in Avengers: Endgame, and thus she doesn’t technically have a canon role at all. While hardcore Marvel fans have all checked out the deleted scene on Disney+, average viewers are unlikely to have done so, meaning such a recast should cause minimal confusion. In truth, this is probably the easiest way to bring back Katherine Langford, because it takes advantage of her willingness to return to the MCU without requiring a complex story featuring Morgan Stark. It would need a slick marketing operation, of course; if rumors of Langford’s return began to circulate before details of her character, fans would naturally reach the wrong conclusion and assume Morgan was coming back. But Marvel are pros when it comes to managing the media, and they can pull that off with ease.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4897 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

More From Thomas Bacon