MCU Newcomer Jokes About Marvel's 'Explosive Microchip' Spoiler Deterrent

CBR

By Leon Miller

Published Jan 27, 2023

Thor: Love and Thunder star Brett Goldstein makes light of the extreme measures Marvel Studios is willing to take to preserve the MCU's secrets.

Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomer Brett Goldstein recently joked about the "explosive microchip" Marvel Studio uses to deter actors from letting spoilers slip.

Goldstein made light of the secrecy surrounding the MCU during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. "Oh, look, I mean I'm scared to even tell you that," he replied when asked about the pressure he was under to keep his cameo as Hercules in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder under wraps. "When I got the job -- when you arrive on set, you get taken aside by Marvel security, and they inject you with a microchip, and it was literally like, 'If you tell anyone you did this, we're gonna kill you. Like, your brain will explode.' So I couldn't tell anyone. I couldn't tell my family, I didn't tell anyone."

Goldstein then went on to tell the story of how he broke the news of his MCU debut to his parents. As the British actor already recounted in an earlier interview, he encouraged his mother and father to see Thor: Love and Thunder without mentioning he was in the movie. Goldstein's parents subsequently attended a screening, although his mum almost missed his cameo because she was texting him at the time. "She goes, 'Oh, [Zeus actor] Russell Crowe is back on.' I'm in this film for, like, four seconds. I'm like, 'She's going to walk out and not even know I was in it.' And I typed back, 'Look at the fucking screen!'" he said.

Kevin Feige's Policy on MCU Spoilers

While Marvel Studios does indeed have a reputation for extreme confidentiality as Goldstein suggests, the production company's president Kevin Feige is surprisingly relaxed regarding MCU spoilers. Feige said as much in an interview following the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, arguing that audiences can still enjoy an MCU movie even after key plot details leak. At the same time, Feige reiterated that he and his team put a lot of effort into maintaining secrecy around Marvel Studios' productions. He also spoke positively about the MCU fanbase's increased reluctance to spread stolen information online.

It's easy to see why Feige is so pleased about fans helping keep a lid on spoilers, considering the amount of work behind each phase of the MCU. Feige recently opened up about developing the MCU's overarching narrative roadmap, singling out the "80-plus years of Marvel comic history" at Marvel Studios' disposal as a crucial element in this process.

Source: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, via YouTube