More than a year ago, in April 2024, a YouTube channel quietly uploaded a curious AI-generated video that would later go viral.
The premise was simple: reimagine The Avengers as if the franchise had been made in the 1990s, replacing Marvel’s modern heroes with A-listers who ruled the box office back when pagers were still a thing.
The nostalgia trip turned Marvel’s billion-dollar franchise into a VHS-era fever dream starring the likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and even David Bowie.
The results were far from seamless. Most of the actors looked closer to their present-day selves than their 90s prime, a side effect of AI tools being trained on recent data. Still, that didn’t stop viewers from falling down the nostalgia rabbit hole, and flooding the comments section with casting praise.
“Ok… I’m building a machine to take me to parallel universes, I’ll be back when I find this movie.”
An AI video showing what The Avengers would’ve looked like in the 90s went viral, replacing the official cast with the most popular actors of that era
The video is far from being the first of its kind, in fact, it follows a growing trend of using AI to retrofit modern franchises into past decades, giving shows like Stranger Things and Breaking Bad 70s sitcom treatments or 80s horror trailers.
This entry, however, struck a nerve. Instead of Chris Hemsworth or Scarlett Johansson, viewers were treated to an MCU cast straight from a People’s Sexiest People Alive magazine circa 1997.
Let’s begin with the casting of Tom Cruise as Iron Man. If anyone in the 90s had the swagger and stunt obsession to play Tony Stark, it was Tom Cruise. While Downey Jr. brought a gritty, vulnerable charisma to the role, commenters believe Cruise would’ve fit perfectly into the cocky genius archetype.
Instead of Chris Evans, Brad Pitt was selected to play Captain America. The actor’s range in films like Legends of the Fall and Seven Years in Tibet proved to many that he had the stoicism to pull off Steve Rogers.
One of the most unanimously praised picks was Dolph Lundgren as Thor. With his Norse-god physique and stoic presence, the Rocky IV villain was seen as the ideal candidate to wield the hammer.
Interestingly enough, Lundgren was among the first to play a Marvel character on the big screen with 1989’s The Punisher.
Keanu Reeves, Angelina Jolie, and Dolph Lundgren were among the favorite casting choices
Mysterious, and capable of seduction and violence in equal measure, Angelina Jolie’s 90s and early 2000s filmography made it easy for viewers to picture her as Natasha Romanoff.
Roles like Lara Croft and Salt cemented her as Hollywood’s go-to female action spy, long before the MCU existed.
Replacing Mark Ruffalo was David Duchovny. The actor, famous for his role in The X-Files, was labeled by some as the “perfect 90s casting.”
Completing the original lineup was Kevin Costner as Hawkeye. The actor’s participation in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, already proved that he had what it takes to portray a heroic archer.
Opposing our 90s heroes would be Jim Carrey, replacing Tom Hiddleston as Loki. While Carrey was known at the time for his comedic and exaggerated expressions, more recent roles have proved he can tap into a deeper and darker side, perfect for a villain.
Other castings included Keanu Reeves as The Winter Soldier, Eddie Murphy as Falcon, Morgan Freeman as Nick Fury, and Ron Perlman as Thanos.
While the video wasn’t perfect, it nevertheless allowed viewers to have fun envisioning a different reality
Behind the nostalgia-soaked dream is a cocktail of advanced AI tools.
First, image generation platforms like DALL·E or MidJourney are generally used to visualize the actors in costume.
Then, these images are processed with animation software such as Kaiber and Runway to make them move, albeit with several inconsistencies.
Due to AI’s tendency to prioritize current data, many of the images show actors as they look now.
For instance, instead of Tom Cruise’s dashing young looks, the video renders the actor with his current mature appearance. Same with Keanu Reeves, who looks more like John Wick than The Matrix’s Neo.
None of that stopped people having fun with the idea of an alternate universe casting, however.
“I would pay top dollar to see Keanu Reeves as Winter Soldier,” a viewer said.
“Genius putting Brad as Captain America and Tom as Iron Man. Even though Civil War’s story didn’t come out until 2006, these two actors hated each other when filming Interview with a Vampire,” another argued.
“Avengers: Infinity Budget.” Netizens wondered how much hiring these actors would cost nowadays
