Considering that having a firm continuity is one of the pillars that buttresses their success, Marvel movies rarely recast prominent roles. Outside of a few rare occurrences, such as Terrance Howard getting swapped out for Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2, the powers behind the Marvel cinematic universe would rather kill a character off than recast them.
The most notable example of the practice is how Marvel has chosen to handle the Black Panther franchise. Due to the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, T'Challa will inexplicably be written out of the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever despite literally coming back from the dead in his last canonical appearance. The decision to kill T'Challa- a pivotal Black character- off-screen has been polarizing; however, Marvel's head honcho, Kevin Fiege, claimed the intention behind the choice was to honor the actor's legacy.
In a decision that belies their stance on refusing to recast T'Challa, Marvel has decided that Harrison Ford should inherit the late William Hurt's role as General Thunderbolt Ross in upcoming MCU projects. To borrow a modern phrase, make it make sense, Marvel.
Make it make sense.
General 'Thunderbolt' Ross will return to the MCU, reportedly played by Harrison Ford. According to reporter Jeff Sneider, the Indiana Jones star will be suiting up as the infamous Marvel General following the death of original actor, William Hurt. "We're hearing Harrison Ford HAS, in fact, been cast as Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, who is expected to make his first appearance in… CAPTAIN AMERICA 4," said Sneider via Twitter.
