If anyone should be worried about AI, it’s Marvel, since one of their major Avengers villains, Ultron, literally is one. Granted, VisionQuest appears to be setting him up for a turn toward less evilness, and introduced more AI characters who are good — but that’s comic-book AI. When Marvel used what we in the real world consider AI, the results were the opening credits of Secret Invasion, which remains one of the least-liked MCU productions ever, for many reasons including the AI. However, cinematographer Matthew Libatique, who shot the first two Iron Man movies (and the non-MCU Venom), thinks Marvel will definitely come back around to it, despite fan backlash from some quarters.
On the other hand, he doesn’t believe they’ll ever use it to replace actual performances. Marvel has cut massive checks to Robert Downey Jr. to keep him coming back; clearly they believe an actor is worth something, and not replaceable with a synthespian.
Speaking with Variety, Libatique said Marvel and DC would probably need AI because they “make these giant films and technology is clearly a part of it…They make their movies for so much money, I can understand why, through visual effects, they are going to have to employ AI to curb some of their costs.” Comparing them to another comic-book movie, the D.P. suggested that Zack Snyder’s 300 “was basically our early AI movie” due to its being shot against greenscreens with digitally created backdrops. This sounds like a common misconception, though: virtual sets, which Marvel already uses, and AI are not the same thing. AI might have skipped the middleman and simply programmed a backdrop in the style of Frank Miller comics, but in actuality, it took real humans to interpret those drawings and adapt them into something cinematic. 300 does not look exactly like the style of Sin City, for example, which also used digital backgrounds inspired by Frank Miller comics.
Libatique clearly understands this to a point, as he resents when AI is used to create cinematography in his style. “How come everything I do is out for grabs? That’s absolutely offensive,” he says, perhaps not realizing that this is what generative AI does every time, to other artists. “I don’t have a distinctive style. I always try to find a story in what I do…AI is all the same; it’s so plastic. To take everything I’ve done and distill it into a style that is uniquely mine is completely incorrect.” Bingo, Matthew. One might even imagine that 300 cinematographer Larry Fong feels the same way.
However, he’s clear on the notion that someone like Inde Navarette won’t be replaced with AI product Tilly Norwood in the role of Rogue any time soon. “You can’t tell me you’re going to make an AI character that can do what Robert Pattinson does,” he says. “You can’t.” Libatique himself, however, will be looking into the possibilities of AI alongside frequent collaborator Darren Aronofsky, who launched his own AI studio last year. Essentially, he believes studios are already cutting jobs and corners by outsourcing tasks like glare correction to other countries where they can pay less, and AI might be able to keep it domestic. In the end, though, it’s audiences who will decide, and there’s very little indication that they like AI art beyond shared memes on social media.
Do you think Marvel will start to use AI? Will it affect whether or not you see their movies? Without using ChatGPT, tell us your thoughts in comments.
