I was taking a look back through some articles from a year ago today, and saw that we got our first glimpses at Harry Osborne and Electro from the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (our review of the film tells you how that went), and came across the initial thoughts of Vin Diesel meeting with Marvel.
This included a photo of him beside the Avengers and saying the word ‘vision’ in his description of the visit. This sparked mad rumors in our mind, leading us along a false trail. We’d later come to learn that Diesel is in fact Groot in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and after watching the early preview this week, I can confirm that no one else could ever be Groot except VD. Take a look at some of our early speculations and wild theories from last year when Vin visited Marvel. Thankfully, we were wrong.
Originally appeared 7/10/2014 on ComicUI.
2 Fast 2 Marvelous: Vin Diesel Up For a Marvel Movie? (PHOTO)
Vin Diesel is what I like to refer to as a one-note actor. He doesn’t bring a lot of range to roles and has been sticking to franchises that tend to work for his talents (even if it is just one trick pony). However, as of late, Vinny has been touting some meetings with Marvel and leaving the rest up to our active imaginations. Today, he posted an image to his Facebook page maybe hinting at where he could be headed.
“Marvel meeting today, only the people in the room can tell you what was discussed…P.s. Thanks to Our page, for pushing to make it happen… you know I get tunnel vision with my work… and after that meeting today… wow!”
This statement was accompanied with this image. Click for a larger version.
First thing we all think about is what Marvel film would Diesel be trying to get his foot in? Maybe they reached out to him first. Only they know, but instantly the list of heroes/villains he could play go through our head. Although never one to be an antagonist, Diesel has always played the anti-hero. Someone who isn’t good, but we’re rooting for him anyways. The biggest story is that he could be the Vision, an android created by Ultron who was created by Hank Pym. He has been a big part of the Avengers since the 60′s and creating this character on screen wouldn’t be a stretch. It is worth noting that in his statement, Diesel specifically says the word ‘vision’ albeit in a very passive way.
The image posted above presents another interesting theory, that he could in fact be Giant Man/Ant Man/Hank Pym, a brilliant man with a troubled personal life who has been in the Avengers since the comics were started. We know for a fact Ant-Man is the first Phase 3 film after Avengers 2 in 2015. Written by Edgar Wright, there has been test footage from it all over the internet. Although no casting or true production has begun on the film, I think it will need some star power to pull the premise of the film into the wider audiences. My personal theory on the film is that it will follow the second Ant-Man books, about Scott Lang, a thief who steals the Ant-Man suit and uses it for personal gain but obtains a conscience along the way and disavows his evil ways. This storyline was covered in an episode of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes from Season 2 now on Netflix.
Secondly, it may not be movie related at all. Diesel is known for the Riddick and Fast & Furious series film, which leads me to speculate they may want to incorporate those into a comic series as well. Telling more stories of Riddick as he ventures from planet to planet running from space bounty hunters would lead to some great stories for the comic medium. They wouldn’t be confined by the practicality of film making and mini-series based on films are big right now. The movie rumors could always be a decoy for these talks as well.
Lastly, it may be nothing at all. Just sweet nothings and could end up going nowhere. It all depends on the factors involved to see if anything comes out of this relationship Marvel and Vin Diesel seem to be striking up. Social media is the hype machine that creates talk and keeps people in the forefront of everyone’s minds. This could be a clever ploy by both studios to see what people are talking about and track the popular topics coming from the surrounding buzz. Only time will tell on this one guys, lets hope we hear more at SDCC at the end of the month!
If Vin were to be a Marvel character, who do you most envision him playing? Let us know in the comments.