Fanart comes in all forms from cosplay to drones - and Marvel movie characters are at the center of this fandom. As the die-hard followers mourn over the last film in the Avengers movies series - “Avengers: Endgame”- they can rejoice to know that the artistic expressions the characters inspire will never die. Digital artist Mat of "houseofmat" is one example of the many artists who have paid homage to the great Stan Lee - as he reimagines what the Avengers characters would look like if they were cast with 90s actors.
The real record-breaking film starred such famous actors as Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, and while Paul Rudd had his first break-out performance in 1995 with the film 'Clueless' - we doubt he would have been cast in a blockbuster of this size. So who would the Avengers cast be based by the 90s trends? This artist shared his stunning digital imagery of just that with his 66.5k followers on Instagram - and even non-Marvel fans will be impressed.
90s cast
(Denzel Washington as Black Panther, David Duchovny as The Hulk, Alicia Silverstone as Scarlet Witch, and Ben Stiller as Antman)
Real cast
The 31-year-old told Bored Panda he's been drawing since he was a kid, but took a carer detour in college before returning to art, "I studied Tourism and Hotel Management. I wanted to get back to the art side, so I decided to study Graphic Design for a masters degree." Armed with graphic design skills, he then found his creative niche, "I usually work on superheroes, comics, games, cartoon characters as a concept illustrator. My purpose is creating undone artworks to leave a footprint to the art world."
90s cast
(Eddie Murphy as Falcon, Tom Cruise as Iron Man, and Brad Pitt as Thor)
Real cast
Born in 87 this 90’s kid said this series was inspired by his childhood, adding his personal favorite is Iron Man, "Because he is a role model that [shows] a “human” can deal with other superheroes and villains. He's got no superpowers. He has my complete respect."
90s cast
(Dolph Lundgren as Vision, Leonardo DiCaprio as Captain America, Johnny Depp as Hawkeye, Cuba Gooding, Jr. as War Machine, and Sandra Bullock as Wasp)
Real cast
To create these impressive digital artworks, Mat uses his artistic superpowers - with the help of photoshop, illustrator, and tablet applications for drawing and editing. Each piece takes about 4 hours to complete. However, he explained this could vary. "It depends on the details. Some artworks need more attention and detail on it. The longest artwork took seven hours."
90s cast
(Michael J. Fox as Spider-Man, Sharon Stone as Pepper Potts, Brendan Fraser as Star Lord, and Keanu Reeves as Dr. Strange)
Real cast
The skill of Mat's fandom art has gained him notoriety in the comic world. "I started “houseofmat” on Instagram in 2016 and my specific artworks such as “90’s Avengers” helped me to grow. This series gained a lot of attention and began to trend. Stan Lee’s official website even published my artwork. That was an unforgettable moment for me. @houseofmat now has 66.5k followers.
Just because the Avengers films have ended does not mean the end of Mat's work - in fact, it's just the beginning: "I hope they like my Avengers series. I have a lot of plans this year. I’m waiting a little bit for new artworks because I do not want to spoil anything about Endgame. I also have lots of ideas about the 90s. Thanks to all of my followers for their support."
People loved the re-designed 90's Avengers crew
