One of the most shocking moments in Avengers: Infinity War came when Thanos and Gamora met the Red Skull on Vormir and it was revealed that the Tesseract ended up sending him to the planet where he was forced to become the guardian of the Soul Stone. We've since learned that it was The Walking Dead's Ross Marquand who played the villain but what led to the character's surprise return here?
"Somebody had to be the gatekeeper to the Soul Stone and somebody had to distribute the rules to Thanos and Gamora," Joe explained before Anthony interrupted by adding "In a way that was credible and believable." Joe then went on to explain that the Red Skull was someone who felt "credible to the audience" as opposed to someone moviegoers may not have been familiar with from the comics.
"A character who has been trapped – the Red Skull has been turned into this wraith who now guards the Soul Stone and distributes the rules to whoever shows up their trying to obtain it. It felt like there was more credibility than just a random character." Anthony adds: "Somebody who has a history with the stones may seem like they have a little more authority in terms of their experience – especially a tragic experience." Well, that explanation definitely makes sense when you think about it!
As for why Hugo Weaving wasn't brought back to play the Red Skull, Joe said: "You know, he made a statement a couple of years back that he was done with Marvel. Ross Marquand did an incredible job of capturing not only the essence of his voice, but the essence of the performance – a haunted figure who is now this imprisoned spirit." What did you think of the Red Skull's return in Infinity War?