Matthew Libatique on AI in Marvel: Replace the VFX, Never the Stars

Matthew Libatique, the three-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer behind some of Marvel's biggest moments, is thinking seriously about AI's role in filmmaking. And he's not running away from it—he's just being real about the limits.

Libatique sees AI as a tool that could handle heavy lifting in VFX work, the kind of technical grunt that eats up time and money. That's one thing. But there's a line he won't cross: using AI to replace actors. That human element—the performance, the presence, the thing you can't fake—that's sacred to him.

It's a nuanced take that cuts through a lot of the panic and hype. Yeah, the technology is coming for parts of the industry. But not all of it deserves to be automated. The craft of acting, the collaboration between director and performer—that's where the magic actually lives, not in the render farms.

Libatique's coming from a place of deep experience with blockbuster filmmaking. He knows how these machines work, what they're good for, and what they'll never replace. That kind of perspective matters when everyone's either doom-scrolling about AI or treating it like a golden ticket to free labor.

Read the full story at Variety → https://variety.com/2026/film/global/iron-man-matthew-libatique-ai-could-replace-marvel-vfx-1236934879/