Retro-Recast: Avengers Endgame In The 1950s

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were rewarded after years of build-up with Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of the Infinity Saga. Dozens of characters from across the MCU all came together in an epic climactic battle against the Mad Titan Thanos with the fate of the universe hanging in the balance.

While fans had to wait until 2019 to see all the various Marvel characters finally come together onscreen, these characters have been teaming up together in the comics for decades. If Hollywood had managed to capitalize on the Golden Age of comics and released Avengers: Endgame in the 1950s, the cast could have included some of the biggest names in the history of cinema.

10 James Dean As Spider-Man

James Dean is a Hollywood icon who passed away far too young after giving legendary performances in Rebel Without a Cause, Giant, and East of Eden. His powerful, angsty acting struck a nerve with teenagers across the country and continues to resonate with viewers even today. Few actors have ever captured the teenage and young adult experience as perfectly as James Dean did.

For this reason, James Dean would have been an ideal choice to play the most famous teenage superhero of all time. Spider-Man had a small but critical role in Endgame, as he and Pepper Potts served as the emotional core of Tony Stark’s climactic death. There is no doubt that James Dean would have delivered an incredible movie moment as Spider-Man reacted to Tony Stark’s death.

9 Kirk Douglas As Thanos

While Thanos did not have as large of a role in Endgame as he did in Infinity War, the role required a somber and thoughtful performance as one version of the character and a powerful and threatening performance for the younger version of Thanos that battled the Avengers at the end of the film.

Few stars of the time were as capable of epic fight scenes and dramatic gravitas as Spartacus star Kirk Douglas. He appeared in several epics such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Ulysses and would have been a natural choice for a movie of this scale. Additionally, he had an iconic chin that would have been a perfect look for Thanos. The actor who starred in the film that made the line “I’m Spartacus” memorable could have made the line “I am inevitable” famous, as well.

8 Sidney Poitier As Black Panther

Just when it looked like Thanos was about to deliver the final blow to the Avengers, portals opened up around Captain America, and all the heroes who had been blipped away returned. The first character to emerge from the portals was Black Panther. Before all the other Avengers appeared, Captain America and Black Panther shared a moment. The relief on Captain America’s face was clear as Black Panther gave him a nod, letting him know that help had arrived.

The perfect actor to bring this quiet but powerful moment to life would have been legendary actor Sidney Poitier. Sidney Poitier was a ground-breaking actor who gave consistently great performances throughout his career in films such as In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and The Defiant Ones. Sidney Poitier’s commanding presence and confidence would have been pitch-perfect for this role.

7 Gregory Peck As Professor Hulk

Throughout his appearances in the MCU, the Hulk and Bruce Banner have constantly struggled against one another, leaving the character with an identity crisis. After the time jump in Endgame, audiences discovered that Bruce Banner and the Hulk had finally found peace, merging into Professor Hulk, the combination of Bruce Banner’s mind and the Hulk’s body.

Nominated for four Best Actor Oscars in the 1940s, Gregory Peck would have been an ideal choice to play the introspective and peaceful Professor Hulk. Gregory Peck’s later performance in To Kill A Mockingbird would prove that he was capable of the exact quietly confident countenance required for Professor Hulk. An actor of Gregory Peck’s caliber would have made Professor Hulk’s moment of realization that he had to be the one to undo the Snap impactful and memorable.

6 Frank Sinatra As Rocket

Frank Sinatra is one of the most famous and talented singers in American history, but the iconic crooner was also a talented and charismatic actor known for his roles in movies such as The Manchurian Candidate, The Man with the Golden Arm, and his Oscar-winning performance in From Here to Eternity. With performances in dramas, comedies, and musicals, he demonstrated a wide range of abilities.

In Endgame, Rocket was grief-stricken, so the performance would have required the actor to convey pain mixed with Rocket’s signature cockiness and sarcasm. Frank Sinatra’s range, iconic voice, and charisma would have made him a great choice to voice Rocket, who likely would have been portrayed on screen by a puppet or person in a full-body costume.

5 Marlon Brando As Ronin/Hawkeye

In the 1950s, Marlon Brando was an up-and-coming young actor who took the industry by storm with his tremendous dramatic acting ability. In movies such as Julius Caesar and On the Waterfront, he showed the ability to convey rage, pain, and a desire for revenge.

In Endgame, Hawkeye was dealing with the loss of his family. This caused him to go to some dark places as he donned the persona of Ronin and became a lethal vigilante before eventually rejoining the Avengers. Marlon Brando would have been completely convincing as someone dealing with the anger and pain that Hawkeye was in Endgame.

4 Rock Hudson As Thor

In Endgame, audiences watched as Thor got his revenge on Thanos, lost himself, and ultimately rediscovered his worthiness. Because Thor was hurting and lost, he let himself go and had a drastically different appearance than fans were used to seeing.

Rock Hudson was a charming, talented actor known for his good looks. He had the acting chops to pull off Thor’s dramatic character arc and the charisma to still deliver on the humorous moments. Additionally, it would have been just as shocking for audiences in the 1950s to see Rock Hudson with an overgrown beard and a beer gut as it was for modern audiences to see Chris Hemsworth that way.

3 Elizabeth Taylor As Black Widow

Elizabeth Taylor was a famous and captivating actress who had the range to act in epics such as Cleopatra as well as smaller films such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? Because of her talent and screen presence, she would have been the perfect choice to play Black Widow.

Black Widow sacrificed herself to save Hawkeye and ultimately save the universe in Endgame. Elizabeth Taylor could have effectively pulled off the action as well as the dramatic death scene. As a trailblazing actress, Elizabeth Taylor would have been at home portraying the first female member of the Avengers.

2 John Wayne As Captain America

In the 1950s, Westerns were as popular as superhero movies are today, and there was perhaps no actor more associated with Westerns than John Wayne. He starred in many big-budget epics as the rough-and-tumble everyman who stood on the side of justice.

Given his popularity at the time and the type of role he was typically cast in, John Wayne would have been a logical choice to play Captain America. His performance would have been drastically different than Chris Evans’, but seeing John Wayne as the white-hat lawman who embodies the American spirit would have been exactly what audiences expected in the 1950s.

1 Gene Kelly As Iron Man

The role of Iron Man required a charming actor who could convincingly be a witty, sarcastic genius with a big ego and an even bigger heart. Few actors could pull off all the different aspects of Tony Stark’s character.

In films such as Singin’ in the Rain, Gene Kelly perfectly captured the fine balance of a charming but prideful millionaire. The quintessential Hollywood leading man of the 1950s, he was a talented filmmaker capable of directing, acting, singing, and dancing. The only actor from the 1950s with the dramatic chops, charm, humor, and overall likeability required to be Iron Man was Gene Kelly.

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