Scarlett Johansson Reveals When The Avengers Cast Knew The Film Could Be A Hit

One moment in The Avengers made the entire cast realize that the film had the potential to be a smash hit. The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 with Iron Man and the studio spent the next few years meticulously fleshing out its characters with The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Although Edward Norton would eventually be replaced as Hulk by Mark Ruffalo, the slate of films experienced massive success at the box office and gave Marvel the confidence to bring all the heroes together on the big screen.

The Avengers was eventually released in 2012 and quickly became a phenomenon that would go on to gross over $1.5 billion dollars at the box office (the first in the MCU to do so, but not the last). It was also well-received by critics who praised the film for its seamless integration of the disparate characters and plots into one cohesive movie. The rest is history now, with the MCU going on to become the most successful film franchise in history, but at one point, those involved were unsure it could work.

Scarlett Johansson, who plays Black Widow in the MCU and will get her first solo feature this May, revealed to The Gentlewoman the moment when the entire cast of The Avengers realized that the film had the potential to be the hit it would eventually become. Johansson details the now-iconic scene where all six of the Avengers are standing in the midst of the rubble of New York City while the camera swirls around them and they prepare for battle. When the cast saw the playback Johansson says they all realized the scale of what they were doing and that it could actually work.

I remember doing that 360 shot, and we’re standing in the rubble of Grand Central or whatever, of this alien onslaught, and all of us are ready, like: Here we go, this is it. And then they showed us the playback, and I think that was the moment that all of us, finally, after six months of shooting, were, ‘Oh, this is going to work. I think this is going to work.’

Now that the MCU is the most successful film franchise in history, it's easy to forget how big of a risk the studio was taking with these films. Comic book adaptations were familiar territory for Hollywood at this point, but no studio had attempted to build an entire onscreen universe akin to the comics themselves. It's clear that Marvel was testing the waters with their solo entries, with the option to pull the plug at any point if it seemed like the films would be unsuccessful, but something resonated with audiences that led to the MCU's massive success.

The shot Johansson describes is, at this point, one of the most iconic of the MCU and a defining moment for the franchise. Now that most of the original Avengers are retired, it's easy to forget the more humble beginnings of the superhero team. Even as Marvel looks to the future, though, the stories they are telling are increasingly informed by the past. Avengers: Endgame returned to this iconic moment during the Time Heist to stop Thanos and Loki, an upcoming series set to center the one-time antagonist of The Avengers, could revisit more of the MCU's history. The past may be prologue, but for Johansson and the series' countless fans, it will remain an unforgettable moment.

More: The MCU Just Teased A New Avengers Team For Phase 5

Source: The Gentlewoman