Kraven The Hunter's Aaron Taylor-Johnson Opens Up About Superhero Fatigue

British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, known for his roles as the title character in Kick-Ass and Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron, is suffering from extreme superhero fatigue. In a pre-strike Esquire profile, Taylor-Johnson candidly expressed his disinterest in the blockbuster films he once headlined.

“There was Kick-Ass and then there was Godzilla and Avengers, and all those things lined up for me,” Taylor-Johnson said. “But I didn’t really care for them.”

In a feature that shifts between examining passed over and intentionally declined opportunities, Taylor-Johnson also mentions that he “was probably not ready” to fully engage his skills within an expansive cinematic universe brimming with commitments. Interestingly, these remarks align with advice from Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) earlier this year, suggesting actors might favor single projects over long-term contracts–which strikes a surprising contrast when you consider that Taylor-Johnson was also reportedly meeting earlier this year with 007 producers to possibly become the next James Bond.

Despite these changes of heart and whatever the future may hold, Taylor-Johnson is poised to headline the Spider-Man spinoff Kraven the Hunter and Universal’s The Fall Guy alongside Ryan Gosling. Regarding his swift shift back to superhero films, Taylor-Johnson attributed it to the caliber of the source comics. Director J. C. Chandor told Esquire that Kraven The Hunter would break away from the usual superhero storyline, saying, “Sony probably doesn’t want me to lead with this, but the story is a tragedy.”

Kraven the Hunter is set to hit theaters on August 30, 2024.