Marvel won't use digital technology to bring Stan Lee back to the MCU

Marvel's Stan Lee has been dead for more than a year, and many fans are wondering if Marvel will use digital technology to make the old man appear in Marvel's films again. But according to Marvel Executive Vice President Victoria Alonso, Marvel will not use digital technology to allow deceased actors to participate in their movies.

Victoria Alonso, Executive Vice President of Marvel

The producers of the Vietnam War action film Finding Jack have announced plans to digitally recreate James Dean, who died in 1955. Former Captain America star Chris Evans reportedly announced the news with the support of Dean's family. However, Marvel has no plans to use the same groundbreaking technology to rejuvenate stars like Michael Douglas in Ant-Man and Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel, as it used to rejuvenate stars like Michael Douglas in Ant-Man and Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel.

“We’re not considering that (resurrecting deceased actors),” Alonso, Marvel’s executive vice president, told Yahoo Movies. Instead, Marvel will continue to combine the performances of live actors with digital technology to bring characters like the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) or Thanos (Josh Brolin) to life.

“The experience of shooting Thanos and the Hulk made it clear to us that you need the live performances of Josh Brolin and Mark Ruffalo,” said Alonso. “That’s the magic on screen, and we did everything possible to put them in the same position as their counterparts so that we could see as much of their talent as possible in the final image.”

In a recent interview promoting the home release of Avengers 4, Marvel executive vice president Alonso said that Marvel will "never try to replace" Stan Lee, who last appeared in Avengers 4.

Stan Lee

When asked who might take over after the old man's passing, Alonso told Miami Latin News: "Stan Lee is irreplaceable, so we will never try. That's the legend, that man, we will never try to replace him. Others will come along, and then you have someone as amazingly creative as Kevin Feige, but there is only one Stan Lee."