The MCU has seen some huge stars passing through its doors over the last decade, making it more than just another set of comic book movies. While there are some actors, actresses and directors who completely refuse to entertain being part of the biggest franchise in history in any way, including the likes of Jodie Foster and Martin Scorsese, who have both vocally spoken against Marvel Studios for "taking over theater" in the way they have, others are always open to offering their presence to a future Marvel project. Among this latter group seems to be Tom Hanks, who recently addressed his feelings about the MCU and whether he would consider a role somewhere down the line.
From its uncertain beginning to its guaranteed multi-million dollar box office wins, the MCU has become unlike anything ever seen in the world of cinema and television. Spanning both mediums, and incorporating an interconnected narrative that requires a huge amount of audience commitment, it is hard to believe that any star would not want to have some part of that, no matter how small or how silly a role it is.
While recently speaking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Tom Hanks reiterated his previous statement that Marvel Studios have never approached him to be in one of their movies, but he expanded this with an anecdotal comparison between the MCU and the westerns of legendary director John Ford. Hanks said:
"You can maybe say that the John Ford universe of westerns is not that different, perhaps, than the Marvel universe of motion pictures. If it's a bodacious John Ford western, would you do it? You might do that."
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is continuing to expand, and looks likely to do so for some time to come. That means that despite already having a massive who's who list of the best of Hollywood on its books, there will always be room for more to be added. With large groups such as the X-Men still requiring casting, there are plenty of opportunities for more stars to become part of the biggest cinematic adventure ever created.
With Kevin Feige having announced the next two phases of the Marvel story, which encompasses around 30 more projects, the Multiverse Saga has a lot to offer, and it is only just getting started. While there have been many fans who haven't been fully on board with the step back after the stunning conclusion of the Infinity Saga, but that will likely change as Phase 5 and 6 head towards their conclusion in Secret Wars in a few years' time.
Whether Tom Hanks does end up joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in either an on screen role or a voice over of one of the many CGI characters of the franchise, the actor is certainly not short of work right now. His next appearance is as wood-carver Geppetto in Disney's live-action version of Pinocchio, which hits Disney+ on September 8.