The MCU includes more than its fair share of comedy elements. Ant-Man and its sequel are packed with humor while the likes of Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy have effortlessly weaved jokes in among their dizzying set pieces and engaging narratives. But according to acclaimed comedy actor Seth Rogen, the blockbuster franchise has caused problems for the genre as a whole.
Speaking to GamesRadar while promoting his new movie, An American Pickle, Rogen claimed that the MCU’s frequent use of humor has positioned its movies as competitors to mid-size comedies, which are struggling to hold their own against superhero blockbusters due to the huge budgets behind them.
“Something that me and Evan [Goldberg] talk about a lot is how Marvel movies are comedies. Thor: Ragnarok is a comedy. Ant-Man is a comedy at its core. So that’s what’s out there. There are $200 million comedies out there, and so that’s something, as a comedic filmmaker, to be aware of. That is the benchmark that people expect.”
Rogen went on to admit that comedy filmmakers cannot possibly rival the MCU movies in terms of scope, but what they can offer audiences is “pure comedy and emotion and relatability and nostalgia” instead. Moreover, the Knocked Up star is adamant that the mid-size comedy isn’t about to die out, despite facing increased competition from other genres.
“What’s funny is, I’ve been told for the last 10 years that mid-size comedies are dying. Yet, throughout that time, luckily we’ve been able to release enough mid-size comedies that have done well that they keep allowing us to make them.”
Although Rogen doesn’t sound overly convinced that the MCU has been helpful to the comedy genre, there’s a chance he might one day join the franchise. Word has it that Marvel has considered approaching him, or at least an actor of his ilk, for the role of The Thing in the Fantastic Four reboot. He certainly sounds the part, and after some heavy CGI treatment, he could potentially look the part as well.
Rogen has made no secret of his love for comic books, so he’d probably jump at the chance to join the MCU. If Marvel ends up going in a different direction for The Thing, however, there’s always the possibility he could board the franchise in another capacity, such as screenwriter, given the series’ increased use of comedy.