Marvel's AI Cast Scan Reports: What Fans Should Be Truly Concerned About

Summary

The use of AI in the Marvel Cinematic Universe raises concerns about the future of actors and writers in the franchise.

Background actors express concerns about the potential substitution of their roles with digitally generated scans produced by AI technology. The ongoing debate surrounding the utilization of AI technology in the opening credits of Secret Invasion raises doubts regarding Marvel's future plans for AI implementation in upcoming MCU undertakings.

The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise is being put into question due to troubling reports regarding the utilization of AI for casting. Since the release of the first MCU film, Iron Man, in 2008, Marvel Studios has experienced significant growth in its interconnected universe. According to MovieWeb, the MCU currently holds the title of the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time, earning a staggering $29.61 billion from theatrical releases as of July. In comparison, Sony's Spider-Man movies, benefiting from Tom Holland's involvement in the MCU trilogy, rank as the second-highest-grossing franchise at $10.38 billion, followed closely by Disney's Star Wars universe at $10.32 billion.

Despite the immense financial success and established universe of the MCU, there are concerns surrounding Marvel Studios resorting to exploitative measures involving the use of AI to replace actors and writers. This issue plays a significant role in the ongoing strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, which have caused delays for various Hollywood productions, including multiple Marvel movies such as the highly anticipated Fantastic Four reboot, the next two Avengers films, and more. Recently, Marvel's name has been associated with a troubling AI problem, further fueling these concerns.

Marvel's AI Cast Scan Reports Raise Several Concerns

WandaVision background actor Alexandria Rubalcaba recently disclosed in an interview with NPR that the Marvel series scanned numerous extras without providing any information about the purpose of their digitalized versions. Rubalcaba expressed concerns about the potential implications, questioning the future of background actors in light of advancements in AI technology. It appears that Marvel has the ability to utilize her digital scan for any upcoming projects, without notifying her or offering additional compensation beyond the minimum payout of $187 per day as stipulated by SAG-AFTRA.

The ongoing strikes led by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA aim to establish regulations for the use of AI in the entertainment industry. These strikes were instigated by the studios' failure to meet certain basic demands, such as preventing the substitution of writers with AI tools and granting actors control over the use of their likeness across all projects. One of the proposals that triggered the actors' strike was the desire of studios to own and employ the digital recreations of background actors without limitation. Given the report regarding the scanning of extras on WandaVision without their knowledge of its ultimate purpose, this development is particularly unsettling.

Secret Invasion's AI Controversy Shows The MCU Needs To Avoid AI

The WandaVision background actor scan has raised concerns, but it is not the only area where Marvel should reconsider the use of AI. Recently, the decision to use AI for the opening credits of Secret Invasion has backfired, leading to valid concerns raised by artists, fans, journalists, and others. Given the controversy surrounding Marvel's use of AI for just the opening credits, it would be wise for the studio to scale back its future plans of incorporating AI into the MCU, as it could potentially have even more severe consequences.