Sony’s Kraven Casting Means Bad News For Quicksilver In The MCU

Sony casting Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven the Hunter is bad news for Quicksilver’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kraven is one of Spider-Man’s iconic villains and has been on the cusp of a big-screen introduction for a few years. Ryan Coogler wanted him in Black Panther at one point and Spider-Man: No Way Home was rumored to include him as well. However, a solo film at Sony seemingly took priority and now has Aaron Taylor-Johnson set to star as Kraven the Hunter.

This casting comes after Aaron Taylor-Johnson already spent some time in the MCU as Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Despite Quicksilver’s significant presence in Marvel Comics, the MCU killed Pietro Maximoff in his debut film. Fans have been waiting to see Taylor-Johnson return to the role ever since. It was widely theorized that this would happen in WandaVision since the Disney+ series explored Scarlet Witch’s past and trauma. This didn’t happen, though, and left many hoping that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could hold Quicksilver’s return instead. Now that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has found a new Marvel role to play, Quicksilver’s MCU future looks even bleaker.

Related: Theory: MCU’s Real Quicksilver Returns In Doctor Strange 2

Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s decision to play Kraven the Hunter essentially kills the hope that he’ll play Quicksilver in the MCU again, especially anytime soon. He won’t be the first actor to play two different Marvel characters, but no one has done it at the same time. Sony signed Aaron Taylor-Johnson to a multi-film contract to play the Spider-Man villain beyond Kraven the Hunter. He’ll potentially be around for sequels, spinoffs, villain team-ups, or even a crossover with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. It is clear that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is ready to play Kraven the Hunter for a long time if plans fall into place. With a possible major solo comic book movie franchise, there is no reason for him to return to the MCU and play Quicksilver now.

Marvel Studios does have a potential out if they desperately want to bring Quicksilver back but Aaron Taylor-Johnson is unavailable or not interested. WandaVision brought Evan Peters to the MCU as “Quicksilver” after he did so in Fox’s X-Men franchise. However, the Disney+ show shocked (and infuriated) some viewers by revealing that this wasn’t a Quicksilver from another universe, after all. Instead, it revealed that Peters’ character was actually a random actor in Westview named Ralph Bohner who had been under Agatha Harkness’s spell. Marvel could decide to retcon this reveal and make him a proper Quicksilver for the MCU, but that still seems unlikely.

If Aaron Taylor-Johnson is busy playing Kraven and Evan Peters’ involvement in the MCU was just a big joke to mess with fans, then that doesn’t leave Marvel Studios with any place to go with Quicksilver, at least for now. This could be by design if the MCU has no further plans to use Quicksilver. Many will be disappointed if this is the case, especially with the X-Men on Marvel’s horizon, as it keeps Quicksilver from becoming a prominent character on the big screen once again. So unless Marvel, Sony, and/or Aaron Taylor-Johnson figure out a way to make it work for him to play Quicksilver and Kraven at the same time, the prospects of the speedster showing up in the MCU again don’t look good.

MORE: Upcoming MCU Projects Evan Peters Could Appear In (As Quicksilver Or Ralph)