Will Smith’s I Am Legend 2 Role Makes His Absence In This Sci-Fi Movie From 7 Years Ago Even Worse

Will Smith’s absence in a popular sci-fi franchise’s sequel seven years ago is all the more disappointing in the wake of his exciting return for I Am Legend 2. Smith’s reprisal as Robert Neville for the forthcoming I Am Legend follow-up came as a pleasant yet truly shocking surprise, especially when considering the fate of his titular character in the debut film. As the only survivor of a mutant plague left in New York City, Neville searches for a cure to reverse the effects of the virus that has turned the population into Darkseekers, but he succumbs to death at the tail end of his mission.

Despite his demise, the confirmed I Am Legend sequel seeks to continue Neville’s narrative by ignoring the film’s theatrical climax and using the alternate ending where he survives. Neville’s resurrection in the franchise is particularly delightful, as Smith expertly commanded the screen in the critically and commercially successful first film and will get the chance to recreate the magic of the cult classic for its sequel. While this is great news for I Am Legend 2, Smith’s near-impossible role reprisal puts his absence in the 2016 Independence Day sequel in an even more disappointing perspective.

Will Smith’s I Am Legend 2 Role Shows Independence Day 2 Didn’t Do Enough To Bring Him Back

Comparable to his role in the I Am Legend franchise, Smith was the leading light of the cutting-edge and commercial sci-fi action hit, Independence Day. The actor played U.S. Marine Captain Steven Hiller and took up the fight against an apocalyptic alien invasion in one of his earliest and most lucrative movie roles. Unlike I Am Legend’s capitalizing franchise, however, Independence Day did not manage to bring Will Smith back for the franchise sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence.

As the second-highest-grossing film in Smith’s catalog at $817.4 million (via Box Office Mojo), Independence Day has maintained itself as one of the actor’s more beloved roles. That made it a huge letdown when Independence Day: Resurgence was unable to secure his participation. Smith turned down Independence Day 2 to join Suicide Squad and get a new potential franchise, in spite of being written into the sequel’s original script. If Smith’s unbelievable resurrection role in I Am Legend 2 is any indicator, then Independence Day 2 simply may not have done enough to bring him back into the franchise.

Why Independence Day: Resurgence Needed Will Smith

Regardless of the reason why Smith did not return for Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel bit the bullet and rewrote the script to follow new and returning cast members. Yet, without Hiller’s critical character and Smith’s star presence, Resurgence felt like it was missing an essential component to the overall movie. In relation to Smith’s absence, returning franchise star Vivica A. Fox corroborated this sentiment to The A.V. Club by describing Smith as “the one true link that was missing” and that his absence was directly connected to Independence Day 2‘s box office disappointment.

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Every Will Smith Movie Sequel The Actor Didn’t Return For (& How They Did)

Will Smith has spent most of his career as a huge box office star, but rarely does sequels, and follow-ups made without him usually suffer for it.

Unfortunately, without Smith, Independence Day: Resurgence made only $389.6 million – barely double its budget and only half of what the original movie made. Fans and critics were less than impressed with the sequel and Smith’s absence was a big reason why. While there’s no guarantee that the actor could have prevented Resurgence’s fate, the actor will now have to hope that I Am Legend 2 doesn’t waste the opportunity to have him back.