Charlize Theron is Ready for the MCU, But are They Ready For Her?
With news that Netflix’s The Old Guard is one of the most successful originals there in some time, it proves non-MCU superhero movies can easily be created. Perhaps this one checks a lot of boxes the MCU still leaves out of late (including a woman director, Gina Prince-Bythewood).
Part of that is also not being timid to bring more strong female leads, this time with Charlize Theron. It seems Theron took on The Old Guard because she keeps expressing the desire to act in a superhero franchise. She got her wish with this film, playing the immortal Andromache of Scythia (Andy).
Fans are still perplexed, though, about why Marvel keeps ignoring her wishes to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Will this film open up that opportunity?
What has Charlize Theron said about appearing in the MCU?
According to Theron herself in various interviews of recent years, the MCU simply will not call her. She admitted to this, despite openly expressing interest in taking on one of their films.
Rumors keep popping up about her playing everyone from Morgan Le Fay to Madame Web in the upcoming Spider-Man 3. Not one of these rumors has any legs, though. Because Theron keeps saying she hears silence from Marvel, one has to ask a proverbial: Why?
According to Theron herself from Variety’s podcast The Big Ticket: “I swear to God. I’ve never gotten anything. No, I’m not lying to you. But that’s okay. You know what? I am paving my own way. I’m creating my own opportunities. So it’s alright.”
And so she did by taking on The Old Guard, if ultimately being compared to upcoming The Eternals in the MCU. Because of this, will that ruin her chances of snagging an MCU role once and for all?
Cracking the code to why the MCU ignores Charlize Theron
Perhaps one clue to this comes in the kinds of roles Theron is usually attracted to. While the MCU seems to recruit A-list actors as much as possible, perhaps they know which ones best fit based on past films.
One thing to note about Theron is she always takes roles with more down-to-earth qualities. She makes it real every time and never puts on a front in her acting. Perhaps playing an MCU villain would require her to be a little too over-the-top, which is not always her typical style.
If this is what really kept her away from the MCU, she may well have to carve her own path in a separate superhero franchise. Even DC might be a little too outlandish for her, albeit being a little better suited for the darker roles she often tackles.
Because The Old Guard reportedly reached 72 million households in its first four weeks of Netflix airing, a franchise is more than likely. This could ultimately be Theron’s revenge against Marvel, including reinventing the superhero genre.
Further Andromache of Scythia movies could best ‘The Eternals’
No doubt when The Eternals finally releases from Marvel next year, it will be the smashing success everyone expects it to be. Regardless, The Old Guard getting a leg up was likely more than strategic.
Rumors are now brewing about a new franchise developing on Netflix with Theron’s Andy character. Should a new franchise be made, it would become all original material because The Old Guard was a standalone comic book.
Theron expounded on the idea of at least a sequel being done. As she said to Seth Meyers recently (as reported by Deadline): “There’s obviously a relationship there (between Van Veronica Ngo’s Quynh and Theron’s Andy) that we didn’t really explore in this film…so I’m excited if we get the chance to make another one, to explore that, because then we’re just adding another female into the mix, which I think will make it really interesting.”
Pushing more women as superheroes may end up being won by Theron while the MCU still goes at a snail’s evolutionary pace on bringing promised diversity.
