7 Actors Who Have Played The Joker In Their Own Unique Way

7 Actors Who Have Played The Joker In Their Own Unique Way

It’s rare that a super villain can achieve anywhere near the same amount of popularity that the hero they frequently battle, but The Joker is definitely at that level. Debuting in 1940’s Batman #1 (the same issue where Catwoman first appeared), the Clown Prince of Crime has long been cemented as the Caped Crusader’s arch-nemesis, so naturally he’s also been adapted in other media numerous times. In fact, we’ve reached a point where The Joker is now the star of his own movie, and he won’t even be fighting Batman!

As one can logically assume from this kind of prominence, The Joker isn’t a simple role. With so many years of history, there are various ways one can play this character, so with that in mind, we’ve decided to look at the actors who’ve bring this cackling fiend to life on the silver screen. Just to be clear, this feature is only discussing theatrical portrayals of Joker, although I do recommend checking out Cameron Monaghan’s performances as Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska on the Fox series Gotham, as those twins cover the Joker spectrum excellently.

Cesar Romero's Joker in Batman (The 1966 Movie)

Although Batman made his first live action appearance in a 1943 film serial, it’d be another 23 years before The Joker got to follow suit in the live action Batman TV series. Cesar Romero, who had an extensive movie and TV resume and was arguably known best beforehand as The Cisco Kid in six Westerns released between 1939 and 1941, was cast as the Clown Prince of Crime, and for the most part, he nailed the character quite well. Modeled off how Joker was portrayed in the Silver Age of Comics, when superhero stories were more kid-friendly, Romero’s Joker was more of a goofy prankster than a psychopathic murderer, which fit with the TV series’ tone nicely. Romero also refused to shave off his mustache when playing The Joker, requiring the white makeup be applied over the facial hair.

Two months after the Batman Season 1 finale aired, these versions of the characters made the jump to the big screen in the first ever full-length theatrical Batman movie, simply and appropriately titled Batman. Cesar Romero’s Joker teamed up with Frank Gorshin’s Riddler, Lee Meriwether’s Catwoman and Burgess Meredith’s Penguin teaming up to cause all kinds of trouble, with this clip demonstrating their dynamic together and Romero’s overall Joker personality.

Naturally, Romero’s Joker in the Batman movie didn’t differ in any way from how he played the character on the Batman TV series, and the movie was critically well-received and performed decently commercially. In the grand scheme of things, while Romero’s Joker is definitely not nearly as frightening as later versions of Joker, he still has a sizable amount of fans all these years later.

Jack Nicholson's Joker in Batman (The 1989 Movie)

As popular as the 1960s Batman TV series was and still is, there’s no question that it’s campy and kooky, basically meaning you can show it to fans of all ages. The 1989 Batman movie, on the other hand, isn’t something you necessarily want to show to the kids. It marked the Caped Crusader’s first on-screen entry into adult territory, and Jack Nicholson was hired to play The Joker in this tale. Nicholson was unquestionably the biggest actor in this movie thanks to his performances in Chinatown and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and he beat out actors like Brad Dourif, Tim Curry, John Lithgow and James Woods for the role.

Jack Nicholson had many memorable moments as The Joker in Batman, but arguably the weirdest one was when he and his goons defaced the paintings inside a museum while dancing to Prince music.

There were two chief differences with Jack Nicholson’s iteration of The Joker compared to how he’s depicted in the comics: one, we knew his real name (Jack Napier), and two, he was the one who murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents as opposed to the traditional culprit, Joe Chill. Beyond that, though, Nicholson’s Joker was a relatively faithful adaptation of the super villain, from gaining his clownish visage after falling into a vat of chemicals to preferring to kill people “artistically” and with dramatic flair. We were only treated to one appearance from this Joker, although had the movie Batman Unchained moved forward, the plan was for Nicholson’s Joker to appear when Batman hallucinated him after being dosed with Scaercrow’s fear gas. In any case, for nearly two decades, it’s safe to say that Nicholson’s Joker was the definitive live action Joker, and even now, he’s still fondly remembered by many for portraying the character not as a pest, but as the psychopathic murderer he is at his core.

Mark Hamill Voice Acting Joker in Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm

Obviously everyone has their favorite version of The Joker, but it’s not exaggerating to say that most Batman fans label Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, as the definitive voice of the Clown Prince of Crime. Hamill has voiced across Joker across numerous projects for nearly 30 years, but he’s chiefly known for playing the character within the DC Animated Universe, specifically Batman: The Animated Series. A year after that TV show debuted, it jumped to the big screen with Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm, which didn’t fare well commercially during its theatrical run, but was met with critical acclaim and has had a wonderful home video life.

Serving as the secondary antagonist in Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm, Mark Hamill’s Joker was largely the same as it was on television. He could be wacky and absurd one minute, but then turn on a dime and become incredibly horrifying the next minute. This was highlighted nicely when Joker first shows up to meet Salvatore Valestra, his boss from his pre-clown days.

However, because the movie wasn’t subject to the same censorship rules Batman: The Animated Series had to follow airing on Fox Kids, that allowed more wiggle room with making Joker more adult. Even under a PG rating, Mask of the Phantasm got away with Joker much more adult, such as him actually killing people and making sexual innuendos. While I’ll argue that the direct-to-video Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker gave us the darkest version of Mark Hamill’s Joker in the DCAU, Mask of the Phantasm is nonetheless a great example of how Batman’s arch-nemesis can tread a fine line between funny and terrifying.

Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight

After being teased at the end of Batman Begins, The Joker surfaced several years later as the main antagonist in The Dark Knight, played by Heath Ledger. I don’t need to remind any of you that Ledger’s take on The Joker was acclaimed and netted the actor a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. That said, it is worth remembering that in the lead-up to The Dark Knight’s release, there was skepticism about Christopher Nolan’s version of the Clown Prince of Crime. Along with Ledger’s previous acting work causing concern that he could properly pull off a villain like this, this version of The Joker is quite different from how he is usually depicted, particularly his physical appearance (wearing makeup, dying his hair green and having a Glasgow smile carved into his face) and use of traditional weapons rather than dangerous gag items.

Nevertheless, this Joker was incredibly dangerous, as shown in the scene when he killed Gambol (who’d put a bounty on Joker’s head) and basically turned the phrase “Why so serious?” into one of the most unsettling lines in movie history.

Ultimately, though, the spirit of the original Joker was alive in Heath Ledger’s Joker. He thrived off chaos, and rather than wanting to be just another powerful, money-obsessed crime boss in Gotham City, he aimed to spread anarchy and give the people a better class of criminal. Ledger’s Joker was definitely a more politically-skewed version of the character, but he went all out with giving audiences something incredibly different from what had come before, which included locking himself in a hotel room for six weeks to figure out his Joker’s voice, movements and mannerisms. The result was that Ledger’s Joker is not only widely considered to be the best live action interpretation of the cackling madman, but also one of the best movie villains overall.

Jared Leto's Joker in Suicide Squad

Eight years after we watched Heath Ledger’s Joker nearly bring Gotham City to its knees, Jared Leto put his own spin on the character in Suicide Squad, the first movie not to have Batman and Joker directly fighting one another. Although Leto’s Joker saw the return of some of Joker’s traditional physical traits, like naturally chalk-white skin and green hair, like Ledger, he also had some drastic differences, like tattoos covering his whole body and bejeweled teeth. Because Suicide Squad featured his main squeeze, Harley Quinn, in her first live action film appearance, his role in the movie revolved around his relationship with her: how he manipulated Harleen Qunizel when she was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, how he became depressed after she was imprisoned and his efforts to free her from Task Force X.

Like his comic book counterpart, Jared Leto’s Joker was also a powerful figure in Gotham City, as show in this clip where he kills another crime boss simply for making a lustful comment about Harley Quinn.

Although Suicide Squad was a commercial hit, it was thrashed critically, and Jared Leto’s Joker performance was among the more negatively received elements. For starters, Joker didn’t get that much screen time in the movie, so that meant for some people, there wasn’t enough scenes to properly judge this version of the character. Others were just dissatisfied with this Joker’s physical appearance and/or his weird mannerisms, or just the fact that he came across as a standard, if eccentric, gangster rather than the colorful super villain we know best. It also didn’t help that Leto’s refusal to break character during principal photography led to him doing some crazy things, including sending bizarre gifts like a briefcase full of bullets, a live rat and used condoms. So Jared Leto’s Joker performance certainly isn’t one of the more popular ones, but he may have an opportunity leave a better impression in the future. Assuming he doesn’t become too busy with playing Morbius the Living Vampire or DCEU plans don’t change further, that is.

Zach Galifianakis Voice Acting Joker in The Lego Batman Movie

The Lego Batman Movie is a humorous celebration of Batman’s decades-long history, so naturally The Joker would be involved in the festivities. This movie portrays Batman and Joker’s feud through a romantic-like lens, so when the former tells the latter that he doesn’t mean anything special to him, Joker is hurt. But that just leads Joker to crafting his most ambitious plan yet: surrendering both himself and the rest of Gotham City’s super villains into police custody, and then tricking Batman into sending him into the Phantom Zone when the Caped Crusader suspects he’s up to something. The result: Joker allying himself with villains from other areas of pop culture, escaping the Phantom Zone and attempting to destroy Gotham City. Eventually Batman, having realized he’d been selfish to everyone in his life, “makes up” with The Joker, and the two work together to save the city and send the other villains back to the Phantom Zone before resuming their usual rivalry.

The scene when Joker surrenders himself to the GCPD is a good demonstration of how Zach Galifianakis’ Joker has a more playful edge, but still acts incredibly suspicious.

While there’s nothing wrong with Zach Galifianakis’ Joker performance, there’s also nothing particularly exceptional about it either. It simply sounds like Galifianakis as you hear him in movies like The Hangover and Keeping Up with the Joneses. The actor is amusing enough in the role and is given some good lines, but ultimately, there’s nothing particularly memorable about it. Which is fine, as Galifianakis does a satisfiable job with what he’s given, and fans of the actor will likely appreciate what he did. If The Lego Batman Movie 2 does move forward, the filmmakers might as well bring him back for it.

Joaquin Phoenix's Joker In The Upcoming Movie

Admittedly, we can’t comment too much yet on what’s in store for Joker since the movie is months away from being released. That said, from what’s been revealed from this movie so far, both officially and unofficially, this is going to be a significantly different depiction of the Clown Prince of Crime. For one thing, Joker is telling the eponymous character’s origin story without Batman’s involvement. Bruce Wayne will be in the movie, but as a child and with both of his parents still around. Then there’s the fact that like Heath Ledger’s Joker, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is wearing clown makeup instead of falling into a vat of chemicals. However, the leaked set photos and videos show Phoenix’s Joker leading a crime wave across Gotham City, so clearly this incarnation of the character is just as talented in igniting chaos as his predecessors.

Although Joaquin Phoenix had expressed interest in starring in a comic book movie as early as 2014, he was more interested in doing a “character study”-kind of movie, hence why he declined to play Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since Joker doesn’t take place within the DCEU and isn’t adhering closely to the comics source material, this allowed Phoenix more freedom with putting his own stamp on the main character, who in this continuity is Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who is driven insane and turns to crime after being disregarded by society. We’ll have to wait for a trailer to get our first taste of Phoenix’s Joker performance, but at the very least, this movie will be an interesting experiment that could shake up the comic book movie genre, as well as satisfy Phoenix’s desire to contribute to the genre without being locked in for numerous sequels.

Be sure to let us know in the comments below not only which of the above actors gave your favorite Joker performance, but to name anybody you like who played the character on TV, direct-to-video movies or video games. Joker hits theaters on October 4.

Read More

New Child’s Play Video Shows Off Chucky’s Animatronics

New Child’s Play Video Shows Off Chucky’s Animatronics

It’s easy to remake a film like Child’s Play in the modern age, especially when the decision is made to use big ticket CGI over the old fashioned method of animatronic acting. But when a movie such as that very same remake decides to use the more practical method, in the name of more tangible realism, it’s something special. So feel free to pop a bottle of mini bottle of champagne, and take a look at this video showcasing the new Chucky’s impressive animatronic body:

Now that’s not to say that CGI won’t have its place in this new Child’s Play remake, as even those involved in the making of the animatronic component have mentioned that CG will be used to replace the eyes in the actual doll. Not to mention, there will probably be various touchups and scenes that can’t be done with the animatronic stand in that will be seen throughout the course of the film.

But from the sound of this video, the majority of the Chucky action will be courtesy of some sophisticated animatronic work, and equally specialized puppeteering that helped bring Child’s Play’s big bad to life. With three to four puppeteers on the “Robo Chucky” rig, and a total of six animatronic dolls on the roster, it looks like this new take on the killer doll mythos is taking the right steps to making a believable horror film.

Of course, this is on top of the fact that Mark Hamill has been cast as the new voice of Chucky, which means that with a voice at threatening as the look of the dolls on Child’s Play’s set just seals the horror deal. It may not totally win over those fans that are still in favor of the original franchise being the one true chronicle of Chucky’s killing spree, but decisions like these do sometimes make things easier when it comes to selling the film.

Every little bit will help when trying to get the public to see Child’s Play on the same weekend that Disney/Pixar will be opening a very sincere look at toys in their launch of Toy Story 4. But it’s not like there’s a spirit of malicious competition between the two films. No, not at all, not when Chucky’s the Buddi in play.

The Child’s Play reboot has up until now played it coy with the marketing of Chucky’s murderous abilities in this new film. And almost as if they’d heard an outcry for more material featuring the doll himself, we’ve now got our best look at him yet. The result of which has us even more intrigued to see just what new tricks this old doll has to play on anyone who gets in his way.

Child’s Play brings Chucky to a new level of terror on June 21st. If horror isn’t your thing though, you can always take a look at the 2019 release schedule to find something a little more friendly.

Read More

Pet Sematary Director Explains Why The Film’s Ending Was Changed

Pet Sematary Director Explains Why The Film’s Ending Was Changed

Warning: SPOILERS for Pet Sematary are discussed in this article. If you haven’t seen the film yet and want to stay unspoiled, please bookmark and come back once you’re current.

In the 2019 remake of Pet Sematary, there’s a pretty big change to how the famed Stephen King story ends. It arrives off the back of a lot of smaller changes that build up to the big finale, with the end result being something so pitch black that it hits harder than the entire third act of the 1983 novel. And as it turns out, there was another ending that was shot and audience tested, which would have been even bleaker, according to the film’s directors.

When speaking in a recent interview about the film, directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer talked about a lot of material that was cut from Pet Sematary’s final cut. Amidst remarks about deleted content that fleshed out the relationships between Louis and Jud, as well as Louis and his daughter Ellie, an entire alternate ending was shot for the film; an ending that, according to Dennis Widmyer’s remarks below, was pretty hard to cut:

That [alternate] ending we shot first, and then we decided, you know, to have this other ending – so the studio could test two different endings…We [edited] them both and both endings [test] scored pretty equally. They’re both disturbing and dark. [But] I would say that the current ending [in the final film] sends off the audience with a smile on its face, while at the same time though, [they’re saying] ‘That was that was messed up!’ Whereas the other one, I don’t think anyone would be smiling. The other one has more of a bleak, kind of sad tone to it.

While we’ve covered the ending of Pet Sematary’s 2019 in depth, here's the short version: Ellie turns out to be the kid who dies in this version, and she comes back to life with a bit of an agenda. That agenda includes killing and resurrecting her mother, who then kills and resurrects her husband. The final shot of the film sees Ellie and her parents returning home, with Church in tow, in order to retrieve the youngest member of their family, Gage.

It can be understood that the filmmakers and studio heads behind Pet Sematary didn’t want to send fans out of the theater with a sense of horrible unease. The subject matter is pretty grim, no matter which version you partake in, and being completely honest, the implication of that ending’s darkness kind of does put a smile on your face in the way that Widmyer specified while speaking to Slashfilm. But if that’s the ending that turned out to be the lighter of the two, what the hell is the other ending supposed to contain?

Frankly, our guess is that it’s ether a slightly extended ending where we see Gage being carried off by his undead family, or it’s something so horrific we haven’t even thought of it yet. If there’s any justice, this curiosity worthy of killing the cat just might lead to the satisfaction of an alternate Blu-ray cut of the film, including all the other content that was hinted at by the directors. But at the very least, the facts that the deleted material is already being teased as being part of the home video release, with the ending hitting the internet shortly before then, is something that does make us happy about this particularly grizzly scenario.

Pet Sematary is in theaters now, with a home video release hinted at some point in July.

Read More

Yes, Taron Egerton Threw Himself Down Some Stairs While Filming Rocketman

Yes, Taron Egerton Threw Himself Down Some Stairs While Filming Rocketman

Taron Egerton really put his all into playing Elton John in Rocketman, the new musical biopic from director Dexter Fletcher that is out in theaters right now. There’s already been a lot written about how Egerton did his own singing as Elton John, but we’ve heard less about the stunt work Taron Egerton did, of which there was a surprising amount.

In fact, in a recent interview, Taron Egerton revealed that one particularly harrowing scene in Rocketman involving a dangerous-looking stairwell. He noted he ultimately decided to shoot the scene himself, mentioning,

I felt keenly that I could do that and do it safely. I have a back pad on. And I threw myself down the stairs. It looks painful and dangerous. But I didn’t get hurt in the slightest. And it’s quite shocking in the film. I’m so glad we did it.

The things we do for love and art... In the past, Taron Egerton has left some of the stunt work to the professionals, but in Rocketman, it’s clear he, the actor, actually fell down those stairs as the camera pans in rather close during the sequence.

Looking back, Taron Egerton told USA Today he’s super happy he took the task on himself because of how it comes off in the film. He also said he really wanted to make sure that the Elton presented in the movie was his Elton, thus explaining the need to do his own stunt. He said:

The character of Elton is my character, and I didn’t want any moment in the film to be anyone else's.

The moment – and minor spoilers if you aren’t familiar with the life of Elton John – comes when Elton John is at his lowest. The singer and performer could always captivate an audience, but it took a lot out of him. And Rocketman seems to push the idea that Elton’s deep-seeded issues from childhood spawned a dislike for his person and an abundance of drug abuse.

Following a night of rampant drug use, he tumultuously falls down some stairs.

Of course, all of this pales in comparison to something like Tom Cruise breaking his ankle jumping off a building. But sanely, Taron Egerton doesn’t seem like the type who would want to compete with Cruise, which is likely why he leaves a lot of the Kingsman stunts to the professionals. Still, it’s good to know he’s game to try new things when it can improve a scene.

Rocketman didn’t win the box office this weekend, but it was still a good start for the biopic, which kicked off to $25 million domestically and $56 million worldwide. While not a box office behemoth, there’s obviously a lot of interest around the movie and with a lower budget, it should end up being a hit.

Related: How Rocketman’s Box Office Compares To Bohemian Rhapsody

A lot of the reason I personally enjoyed Rocketman was because Taron Egerton and Dexter Fletcher did a good job of making Elton John seem vulnerable and someone the audience can empathize with even at his lowest. Part of that may have to do with the work Taron Egerton put in with things like the stair scene and the portion of the movie where he had to figure out how to “sing” underwater with a camera trained on him.

Taron Egerton also doesn’t just mimic Elton John in the role, a request he said Elton John made of him, noting,

He said not to try and sound like him, which is tough when you’re playing him.

Luckily, it all seems to have worked out, as Rocketman is rapidly becoming one of the movies that both the critics and the audience seem to really be latching onto this year.

If you haven’t caught the movie for yourself you can check out Rocketman, in theaters now. Or take a look at its summertime competition with our full movies schedule.

Read More

Did The Avengers: Endgame Trailer Tease A New Hawkeye?

Did The Avengers: Endgame Trailer Tease A New Hawkeye?

It’s been three years since we last saw Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton in action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he’s finally back next month in Avengers: Endgame. This time around, he’s adopted a look reminiscent of his time as Ronin in the Marvel Comics, but obviously Clint is known best in both the comics and this film franchise as Hawkeye, archer extraordinaire. That said, it’s become common in the comics for multiple individuals in the comics to share the same superhero identity, Hawkeye being one of them. A new Endgame trailer dropped today, and there’s a moment that has us wondering if someone new will be taking over the Hawkeye mantle in the MCU.

What little we’ve seen of Clint Barton in the Avengers: Endgame previews so far have indicated he’s going through a particularly rough time post-Decimation. After all, he’d already retired from the superhero life at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and after picking his bow and arrows back up during Captain America: Civil War, he was imprisoned and made a house arrest deal so that he could be with his family. But once again, he’s back in the field, this time with a drastically different costume and a mohawk. Many people have assumed that Clint’s wife and children were turned to dust along with half of all other life in the universe, which explains his new look and darker demeanor, but that has yet to be confirmed.

However, there’s one brief moment of happiness for Clint Barton in the latest Avengers: Endgame trailer, as he’s shown have a good time with a girl showing off her own archery skills. Check it out:

At the very least, this snippet highlights a happier time in Clint Barton’s life, either in the past or potentially in the future, assuming he makes it out of Avengers: Endgame intact. But this is the MCU; the smallest of moments can be teases for something bigger to come later. In this case, perhaps Clint training this young woman in archery means that she’ll take over as Hawkeye in the coming years. In other words, is the MCU bringing in Kate Bishop?

Created by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung, and introduced in 2005’s Young Avengers #1, Kate Bishop, who comes from a rich Manhattanite family, encountered the Young Avengers as a civilian during one of their early missions, but it didn’t take long for her and Cassie Lang, daughter of then-Ant-Man Scott Lang, to find the superhero team and invite themselves on as members. Initially Kate wore a variety of battle gear that belonged to various Marvel heroes and villains, including Hawkeye’s bow.

Although the main Avengers team demanded that the Young Avengers disband, Kate and the others refused, and when member Patriot was injured in battle, Kate blamed Captain America for he and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes not taking the time to train them. Impressed by Kate standing up to Steve Rogers, and noting that the only other person she’d seen do that to the Star Spangled Avenger was Clint Barton, Jessica Jones gave Clint’s old bow and arrows to Kate, leading to her becoming the new Hawkeye.

After Kate Bishop inherited the Hawkeye codename, Clint Barton was resurrected from the dead and had decided to wear Captain America’s uniform and shield since Steve Rogers had “died” after the Civil War conflict. Crossing paths with Clint, Kate, unaware of who he truly was, berated him for wearing Cap’s costume, noting that even though she’s going by Hawkeye, she didn’t copy his costume because that would have been disrespectful, and if Hawkeye were still alive, she would have taken a different codename too. Her words inspired Clint to go down his own path and become Ronin, and later he revealed his true identity to Kate and gave her his blessing to continue as Hawkeye. Clint would later revert to go back to Hawkeye, but Kate still holds that mantle as well, and the two have become crimefighting partners.

The MCU hasn’t delved into the concept of legacy heroes yet, but with Avengers: Endgame concluding the current iteration of this franchise and paving the way for a new era, that could change. Unlike Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner’s MCU future hasn’t really been a topic of conversation. While it hasn’t been rumored he’s done after Endgame, there’s also no indication he’ll be back for another movie or will lead his own Disney+ series. If Clint makes it out of Endgame alive and his family is brought back as well, one would imagine he’d want to return to his life of retirement. That leaves the Hawkeye mantle up for the taking, and Kate Bishop could easily fill that position, although the circumstances of her and Clint meeting would obviously be much different.

There’s also the possibility that it won’t be Kate Bishop who takes over as the new Hawkeye in the MCU, but Clint Barton’s own daughter, Lila. The problem with this theory is that the timeline, as sketchy as it is, doesn’t line up. Approximately 3-4 years pass between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame looks to be picking up shortly after Infinity War. But even with that amount of time having passed, Lila doesn’t look like she’s old enough to be the girl in the Endgame trailer.

That said, there have been plenty of rumors that Avengers: Endgame will visit the future, and it was rumored last year that Emma Furhman is playing an older version of Cassie Lang. Given his hairstyle, Clint obviously isn’t his Ronin self in this scene with the girl, so instead, this could is a flash forward to after Thanos has been defeated and everything has returned to normal… well, as normal as things can be in the MCU. If that’s the case, then that girl could easily be a teenaged Lila, and thus there’s setup for her to become Hawkeye even further down the road.

Whether Kate Bishop, Lila Barton or someone else takes over as Hawkeye in the MCU, or if we’ll even get a new Hawkeye, just like with the other starring heroes in Avengers: Endgame, this story will be a major turning point for Clint Barton. This is clearly a dark time for him, and while he was lucky enough to survive The Decimation, there’s no guarantee he’ll make it out of this latest mission alive. Still, I’m leaning towards Clint surviving, and if even if we don’t see Jeremy Renner in another MCU movie after this, his character’s left behind a notable heroic legacy, and it would be cool for a young woman, whoever she may be, to step in and continue where he left off as part of a new generation of heroes.

Avengers: Endgame opens in theaters on April 26, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what’s lined up for Phase 4 and our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out later this year.

Read More

8 Marvel Movie Characters Who Could Be Skrulls In Disguise

8 Marvel Movie Characters Who Could Be Skrulls In Disguise

Captain Marvel introduced a lot of new ideas and revelations to the MCU, but the most significant -- outside of Carol herself -- might just be the Skrulls. Comic book nerds are hoping that now that the shape-shifting Skrulls are in the picture, it won't be too long before Marvel Studios adapts the Secret Invasion storyline. The comic event featured the Skrulls playing the long game and systematically replacing key super heroes in order to take over the planet.

As to whether the MCU can even do this story is up to debate now that Captain Marvel introduced a more sympathetic version of the Skrulls. However, nothing is ever really off the table with the MCU and so we have to wonder: if Secret Invasion is in the works, what character has secretly been a Skrull this whole time? Someone would have to be a Skrull for the story to have any impact, and it just so happens that we have a few ideas.

Before we begin, here's my rationale for picking my choices:

1. There's no evidence to suggest the Skrulls can also copy superpowers beyond their own natural abilities. Otherwise, they all just would have copied Carol to have an unbeatable army of Captain Marvels. So, only normal humans are options.

2. The character has to make logical sense. If you are trying to take over the world, you're not going to take over a position that has no strategic value.

3. If the Skrulls are taking over Earth, it doesn't make sense to replace a Guardian of the Galaxy or other cosmic characters. That means we're keeping things strictly on Earth.

4. No love interests. It's crossing a very icky line for a Skrull to date anyone while lying about their true identity.

So, who are we looking at?

Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross

This is one of the more obvious and popular candidates, but there's a good reason for that. Thaddeus Ross is the Secretary of State, which means he's in one of the highest seats our government has to offer. The Skrull would be able to lay the ground work and use some political influence to prepare the planet for invasion, like, oh, I don't know...trying to control the Earth's superheroes and influence what they can and can't do. That's where the Sokovia Accords come into play and it could have been "Ross'" attempt to take some big pieces off of the chess board. Plus, there's a big gap in Ross' story. How does he go from being a washed up general getting wasted in the middle of the day to the Secretary of State? Maybe the Skrulls replaced the drunk Ross with their own man and got him a seat in Washington?

Everett Ross

The Skrulls are going after all of the Ross'. It makes sense that the Skrulls would want a man inside of the CIA to keep tabs on everything and further advance the invasion. Everett Ross seems to be in a high enough position to hold some sway. Of course, the real reason to go for Ross above all other agents is because of his close relationship to Wakanda, the most powerful country in the world. Controlling Wakanda would be a top tier item for the Skrulls, and Ross has already got the trust of Black Panther and the royal family. It'd be pretty lucky if a Skrull became Ross and THEN got swept up into the Wakanda business, so I think Ross would be replaced after the events of Black Panther.

Erik Selvig

Erik Selvig has been around since Phase One and his big brain has helped to save the day on more than one occasion. However, he just might be a little too smart. Not only was Selvig able to build a portal machine from the Tessaract but he was also able to nullify the effects of the Aether in Thor: The Dark World. It's possible for a human to be that smart, but it would make sense if he was actually a brilliant Skrull science guy. If he were a Skrull then that means that he was able to study the Tesseract for an unknown amount of time, getting vital data on a potential resource. He also worked closely with the Avengers, putting him in the position of a mole.

Hank Pym

This one is admittedly a long shot, but it would certainly be an impactful reveal. For starters, Hank Pym is one of the smartest men on the planet and he keeps a portal to another dimension in the back of a van. He's definitely a worthwhile target to replace. If Hank were a Skrull, that would hit fans right where they live. He's obviously a big character in the Ant-Man franchise and people have grown attached to him. I'm kind of breaking my no love interest rule here because 90% of Hank's motivations are to be reunited with his wife, Janet, but that doesn't stop him from getting replaced after Janet is rescued. The Skrull Hank can then avoid getting too friendly with her. Plus, Hank Pym was a Skrull in the comic book as well.

Maria Hill

Maria Hill is a perfect candidate to be a Skrull. She's not had a lot of spotlight but she's recognizable to fans. Hill is also a small enough character where it doesn't break continuity if she was a Skrull the whole time. Iron Man can't be a Skrull because then we've been following a fraud for 11 years, but Hill doesn't have that problem. She's also Fury's right-hand woman and is privy to a lot of information. It's a no-brainer for a Skrull to assume her position to gain intel and influence to prepare for the invasion. The only drawback is that Hill might be too obvious a suspect to be a secret Skrull.

Queen Ramonda

Wakanda is the most powerful country in the world and pretty much dominates in all categories. They have the best technology, the best weapons, the best defenses, and the best warriors. Wakanda already proved it's capable of matching an alien invasion, so of course it would be the number one obstacle to remove for the Skrulls. The best way to do that is to get someone in a powerful position on the inside, and there aren't too many more powerful than the queen. Queen Ramonda has the ear of the king and is privy to all the goings-on of Wakanda. Plus, it would be a major blow to Black Panther to find out his mom was replaced by an alien.

Sharon Carter

Again, it looks like I am breaking my love interest rule, but I don't think sharing one kiss really counts. Cap moves slow, people! While Sharon Carter's position as a CIA agent probably makes her a suitable target, it's really her proximity to Captain America that makes her valuable to the Skrull. By replacing one of Cap's friends, the Skrulls would be easily able to measure Cap's movements and gain access to his inner circle. Of course, all of this is assuming that Cap makes it out of Avengers: Endgame alive, which seems...unlikely at this point.

War Machine

War Machine as a Skrull makes a shocking amount of sense when you really think about it. If you were a Skrull, you would probably try to assimilate into the U.S. military. Maybe you also decide to befriend a notable arms dealer and covertly gain access to his cache of advanced weapons. Then maybe you get lucky enough to actually get one of his battle suits all to your own. And if you're going to be a superhero, then you might as well hang out with all of them and join their ranks, collecting intel and weaknesses all the while. It could be that Rhodey was just playing us all this time and rolling with the punches as they come. It would certainly be a gut punch to both fans and Iron Man if this beloved supporting character has been a villain the entire time.

I'm still a little skeptical on whether Marvel should make a Secret Invasion movie after learning more about the Skrulls and their situation, but the people at Marvel are also much smarter than me. Maybe they already know how it would work! If that's the case, this list features some prime choices for secret Skrulls that can make us doubt everything we know. We're still a long way off from a Secret Invasion movie, but the long game is Marvel's specialty.

Read More

Chris Evans Thanks Avengers: Endgame Fans For Their 'Incredibly Touching' Posts

Chris Evans Thanks Avengers: Endgame Fans For Their 'Incredibly Touching' Posts

Avengers: Endgame is finally out in theaters, and moviegoers have turned out in droves to support Marvel's epic blockbuster. The movie has made an incredible amount of money, but it's also produced a lot of tears streaming down the faces of those who see it. Fans are taking to Twitter to share their appreciation for the film and the characters in it with the hashtag #ThankYouAvengers, and Chris Evans has shared his own appreciation for all the heartwarming messages.

If you are worried about spoilers in this article, don't be. Nothing specific about Endgame will be revealed here and the fact that this message is coming from Chris Evans isn't a clue. Captain America is far from the only character getting a shoutout by fans this weekend.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend searching for #ThankYouAvengers if you haven't seen the movie yet. While no one is really outright spoiling the movie, you'd be able to guess what happens pretty easily based on some tweets.

But you can hardly blame fans for wanting to share their appreciation. Endgame is a massive love letter to those who have followed the MCU since 2008, and it's filled with moments that will make you cheer. The MCU will continue past Endgame, but the movie makes some permanent changes to the universe and it is a finale of sorts.

Chris Evans must be feeling plenty of emotions this weekend. The actor took to social media to share his own thanks to the fans who are posting messages and making Avengers: Endgame the number one movie in the world right now. The movie is breaking almost every record under the sun right now and a lot of that has to do with the deeply loyal fanbase.

Obviously, Chris Evans has been playing Captain America since almost the very beginning of the MCU. The original six Avengers get plenty of time to shine in this film, and I'm curious to see if anymore actors are going to be sharing their own messages over the next few days.

It also helps that Endgame is a great film. Critics posted positive reviews, we here at CinemaBlend loved it, and audiences gave it an A+ ranking on CinemaScore. It looks like the movie is destined to go down as one of the all-time great superhero movies.

If you haven't seen it already (or you just want to get in a second viewing), Avengers: Endgame is in theaters right now. For more movie news and updates, be sure to check back in with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated on all the latest information. To learn what else Marvel has coming down the pipeline for the near future, be sure to check out our Marvel movie release guide. While you're at it, visit our 2019 movie release guide.

Read More