The internet’s amusing reaction to Will Smith’s Genie reveal from Disney’s Aladdin remake continues, as new fan art combines him with Marvel’s Thanos. If there’s one problem the immediacy of social media has created that didn’t really exist before for filmmakers, it’s the ability for consumers to not only offer immediate opinions during every step of a film’s creative and marketing processes, but also turn what starts as simply a noticeable negative reaction into a full-fledged online crusade in record time.
Such has been the case for Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, set to hit theaters this May. One of four Disney remakes of animated classics set to arrive this year – the other three being The Lion King, Dumbo, and Lady and the Tramp – Aladdin’s initial marketing earned criticism when Will Smith’s version of the Genie was shown with a standard human skin color, as opposed to the eye-catching shade of blue seen on Robin Williams’ animated rendition. Smith quickly assured fans that the Genie would in fact be blue in the film, and fans waited patiently for their first glimpse, which arrived this past weekend.
Unfortunately, that glimpse – which came within a TV spot featuring new footage – was followed by an outpouring of derision from fans, with most arguing that Smith’s new Genie looked awful, and the CGI effects creating him led to an unnerving uncanny valley effect. Yesterday, a piece of fan art tried to rescue things by imagining what Williams might have looked like if he’d been around to return as Disney’s live-action Genie. Now, another fan-made artwork (posted by user StSpyro on Reddit) hilariously combines Smith’s Genie with Josh Brolin’s Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War. Take a look below, and try not to laugh.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the best part of the excellently made fan art above is, although it might just be that the artist took the time to replace Aladdin in the foreground with Thor, the Avenger who receives the immortal line written at the bottom near the end of Infinity War. The whole thing is pretty immaculate though, right down to the Genie having Thanos’ signature chin, purple skin, armor, and Infinity Gauntlet. The Genie even appears to be emerging from the same portal Thanos entered Wakanda through.
While the above fan art is obviously not meant to be taken seriously, it does at least serve as one of the more creative send-ups of Will Smith’s Genie look in Aladdin. On the other hand, one assumes access to a Genie actually would have come in quite handy for the Avengers against Thanos, although Tony Stark’s eyes would probably have rolled so far back in his head at the concept of such a creature being real that they would’ve been lost within his skull.