Every Time Marvel Recasts an Actor, They Do the Same ‘Fresh Prince’ Joke

Despite the fact that audiences these days seem to be less interested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe than they are movies about small plastic playthings and googly-eyed mental health issues, we’re getting another Captain America sequel: Captain America: Brave New World, which presumably finds the new Cap teaming up with the ghost of Aldous Huxley.

The upcoming film is Harrison Ford’s introduction to the MCU, the Hollywood Homicide star is taking over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross from the late William Hurt. And the folks behind the film just couldn’t restrain themselves from inserting a meta-joke about the casting change.

When Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is summoned to meet Ross in the White House, he immediately remarks, “I have to admit, I’m still getting used to the new look.” Ross then awkwardly explains that he had to shave off his mustache for political reasons. 

This isn’t the first time that a Marvel movie has drawn attention to a casting change with a fourth-wall-poking gag. Back in 2010, Iron Man 2 famously swapped out Terrence Howard for Don Cheadle in the role of Colonel James Rhodes, a highly-publicized move that led to Howard accusing Robert Downey Jr. of pushing him out of the franchise.

So when Rhodes first shows up in the movie, just as Tony Stark is being grilled by Senator Gary Shandling, we initially see only the back of his head. As Cheadle finally reveals his face, Downey says, “Didn’t expect to see you here.” To which Cheadle responds, “Look, it’s me, I’m here, deal with it. Let’s move on.” 

Subtle, guys.

Based on the amount of media coverage Iron Man 2’s behind-the-scenes drama elicited, the filmmakers likely thought that the changeover necessitated some sort of acknowledgement. That may have been true, but in the case of Captain America: Brave New World, the original actor died. Did we really need to underscore that fact with an audience-winking exchange?  

Both of these scenes remind me of how a famous TV show handled one of the most notorious recastings in pop-culture history: Aunt Vivian on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And not just because Cheadle once had to defend himself against accusations that he “Aunt Viv’d” Howard.

After Janet Hubert was fired and replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid (it’s a long story), the Season Four premiere began with Reid’s Aunt Viv tending to baby Nicky as if everything is normal. But when Will’s best friend Jazz shows up, he soon remarks, “You know Ms. Banks, since you had that baby, there’s something different about you.” At which point Smith sheepishly looks directly into the camera. 

It’s a memorable moment, to be sure, but the key difference is that The Fresh Prince was a sitcom that frequently broke the fourth wall — such as when Carlton literally jogged through the fourth wall.

With the exception of the Deadpool movies and the She-Hulk series, Marvel properties tend to keep their narrative shit together and not make references to the fact that they’re fictional constructs. Having to recast actors is a reality of the industry, and it’s a little condescending (not to mention distracting) to assume that audiences can’t accept a new actor without the characters making a metatextual quip about it. 

At least they didn’t feel the need to suggest that Ford’s character underwent radical plastic surgery to make him look like Han Solo. 

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