Recent fans of the Marvel universe would have been disappointed to find that the characterization of their favorite superheroes appear differently in Marvel’s Avengers than they were in the film. This is indeed obviously true, considering that Captain America looked remotely as Chris Evans, Thor did not seem to be Chris Evans, etc. Perhaps, with the only exception of Hulk, who, seemingly, could not appear any differently than as a green monstrosity.
That may be a cause for dismay for some who did not know better than the idea that the superheroes themselves originated in comics, not on films. But in service of these fans, one modder decided to tinker each hero’s image befitting their MCU appearances—a task made possible with the aid of technology and a technique called deepfake.
Deepfaking It
Described simply as a supplanting of one face by another, deepfake is an intricate process of face-swapping. While the concept behind this technology is not without its controversy, it significantly expands on what’s possible when employed in entertainment.
YouTuber BabyZone demonstrates this first-hand when he applies the same maneuver to Marvel’s Avengers. Essentially giving the popular depiction of each respective superhero drawing from the films they appear in.
First to appear in the video is Bruce Banner bearing the semblance of Mark Ruffalo. He was followed by Thor with the visage of Chris Hemsworth, along with the statue of Captain America in the background.
Then, leading to the loading screen, which displays Captain America and Black Widow—bearing the faces of Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, respectively. Lastly, there’s Robert Downey, Jr., who popularized the image of Iron Man on the big screen.
A Complicated Job
Although heavily reliant in advanced technology, involving both software and hardware, the modder put an extensive effort into the task, citing how the task involved more than the use of a single tool, meaning also a lot of work than simply depending on AI technology.
The effort of doing manual work as part of the task is indeed the main highlight. But there is also another element in the process that is worthy of reckoning. That is, the time it takes to finish everything. Which, as per BabyZone himself, took more than a month of work to accomplish.
This unofficial visual facelift is in no way going to make it in-game. But we should still be thankful to see how the game would’ve looked like if the MCU actors were directly involved in its making.
Image used courtesy of BabyZone/YouTube Screenshot