AI Dreamt Up An Avengers Series Set In The 1980s, And Phoebe Cates, Tom Cruise And Nic Cage’s Castings Are Sheer Perfection

It was a big deal when The Avengers came out in 2012, because while there had been superhero team movies released before, like X-Men and Fantastic Four, this was the first time that individual superheroes who’d either led their own movies or debuted elsewhere came together for a crossover event. But what if The Avengers had been a TV show released in the late 1980s instead? I know, that’s a drastic pivot, but someone used AI to dream up what such a project might look like, and I’m especially impressed with how Phoebe Cates, Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage were cast.

Shared on X by @VideoChannel134, this video presents the opening credits for a 1989-set Avengers TV show, complete with ‘80s synth pop-style music. Check it out!

Let’s table the fact that this TV show would be coming out at a time when film stars usually steered clear of leading TV shows, and just assume that all these actors would be game to star in The Avengers on the small screen. Tom Cruise as Tony Stark, Phoebe Cates as Natasha Romanoff and Nicolas Cage as Loki are some stellar choices, particularly Cage. If he brought the same kind of energy we see from him in some of his more manic roles, like Castor Troy/Sean Archer in Face/Off, then his version of the God of Mischief would truly be unsettling, yet still entertaining to watch.

Once again, here’s the full lineup of talent for AI-envisioned Avengers TV show that’s, ahem, assembled:

• Tom Cruise as Iron Man
• Brad Pitt as Captain America
• Dolph Lundgren as Thor
• Phoebe Cates as Black Widow
• Denzel Washington as Black Panther
• Kurt Russell as The Winter Soldier
• River Phoenix as Spider-Man
• Arnold Schwarzenegger as Hulk
• Demi Moore as Scarlet Witch
• Nicolas Cage as Loki
• Charlie Sheen as Doctor Strange
• Eddie Murphy as War Machine
• Emilio Estevez as Hawkeye
• Robert De Niro as Thanos

I won’t go so far as to say all of these castings work, as I’m having trouble envisioning Charlie Sheen as Doctor Strange and Robert De Niro as Thanos working properly. But overall, this is a fun ‘what if’ scenario (like if Christopher Nolan directed the Avengers movie) that works under the assumption that audiences in 1989 would be game to see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together week after week in the comfort of their own home. Of course, the special effects obviously wouldn’t have been as good given both the time period and this being a TV production, but in a way, that adds to the charm.

As far as real life goes, we’re now just a little under a year away from the release of the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday. In addition to established characters like Captain America (Sam Wilson), Black Panther (Shuri), Thor and Ant-Man returning, we’ll also reunite with the New Avengers (previously known as the Thunderbolts), the Fantastic Four introduced in First Steps last year, and an incarnation of the X-Men played by actors from the superhero property’s Fox era. They’ll band together to battle Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in a story that will continue in 2027 with Avengers: Secret Wars.

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18, but before that, the MCU will continue expanding this year with the likes of Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, the Jon Bernthal-led Punisher special, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and VisionQuest. If you need to get reacquainted with any specific kind of MCU lore before these projects arrive, break out your Disney+ subscription and stream away.