With "Dark Phoenix" marking the end of Fox's run with Marvel's X-men properties, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is finally open for the inclusion of several of the Marvel's most well-known and beloved characters. Here is our first look (of several) at characters we want to see in MCU.
*DISCLAIMER -- What follows is a combination of a fanboy wishlist and sincere speculation based on the established themes, trends, and motifs from the first three phases of the MCU. These character profiles are what I would personally like to see happen, while also leaving a large berth for the creative geniuses of Marvel to produce something beyond my wildest expectations. They have a habit of doing just that.
DOCTOR DOOM
When the Fox/Disney merger went through, a whole host of characters were (rightfully) returned to the Marvel catalog. While most fans salivated over the possibility of seeing the X-Men introduced to the MCU, the character I'm most anticipating is Dr. Victor Von Doom. Doom remains easily one of the most complex and compelling characters in comic book history, with characterizations ranging from cosmic villain to antihero to reluctant savior of the multiverse. If Spider-Man is the poster child for the Marvel brand, then Dr. Victor Von Doom is a VERY close second. And yet, despite his prominence, Doom has not received an adequate film portrayal despite multiple attempts.
Think of it this way -- Star Trek has Khan Noonien Singh; Star Wars has Emperor Palpatine; Sherlock Holmes has Professor Moriarty; Doctor Who has the Master; Batman has Ra's al Ghul; Superman has Lex Luthor; and ALL of Marvel has Dr. Victor Von Doom. He's that big of a deal.
In the Comics:
Doctor Doom is often considered the arch-nemesis of the Fantastic Four, but his influence spans across virtually every corner of the Marvel universe. He has led the fictional nation of Latveria, dealt with demons, developed advanced technology, defeated a host of aliens with the power to destroy the multiverse, and achieved (at least for a limited time) godhood. Doom is unparalleled at playing the long game, making him a fitting follow-up to both Thanos and Loki as a central antagonists of the MCU going forward.
Origin/Look: Historically, Doom is disfigured and wears armor and a mask at all times to cover his heavily scarred face. He is iconic for his armor and green cloak, and his appearance has changed very little in his almost 60 years of existence. In the current MCU continuity it would make sense for Doom to have some form of bootlegged Stark technology personally modified for his own needs. It's easy to picture a chrome and green version of the nanotech "Bleeding Edge" armor from "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," ready at a moment’s notice, with a tighter fitting helmet. Something akin to the design from the Infamous Iron Man miniseries in which Doom takes on the role of Iron Man after Tony Stark is apparently killed in battle would not only be fantastic, it would easily fit into the current MCU narrative.
In the MCU, it would make sense to reveal his full character and motives over several movies with each installment filling in more detail. Perhaps he could be introduced as someone who provides assistance to the film’s hero(es), only for the audience to later find out he's been identifying weaknesses he can exploit or only helps because it furthers his own ambitions at the same time. Whichever route is taken, it needs to be a slow burn that does the character justice and should incorporate the established technology, geopolitics, and physics of the MCU.
Age: Ideally in his thirties or forties, but even fifties is reasonable. Doom’s MCU age will largely depend on how his character works within the plot, but he should be roughly the same age as anyone chosen to play Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic since they are former classmates and rivals.
Powers/Abilities: In MCU terms, Doom is roughly an amalgamation of Tony Stark, Doctor Strange, and T’Challa. He possesses a genius-level intellect, especially with regard to technology and engineering, he is a capable leader of an entire nation, and he has extensive knowledge of the mystic arts (even making the short list to be named Earth’s Sorceror Supreme). Perhaps his most impressive attribute, however, is the fact that his level of willpower is superhuman, leaving even Thanos to appear weak by comparison. In the "Masters of Doom" story arc he survived having his heart turned to stone, his blood turned to acid, and being sent millions of years into the past. Doom managed to survive and spent eons harnessing his hatred in order to gain complete mastery of the magical arts and take revenge on the reality-warping character who wronged him. It's worth repeating --Doom is unparalleled at playing the long game.
So, if you picture someone with the combined mental attributes of Nick Fury/Thanos/Tony Stark, wearing a combination of the Iron Man/Black Panther armors, and wielding both advanced weapons technology and magic with equal proficiency, you have a good approximation of how formidable Doctor Doom could be.
Fan-Cast Actors:
The Victor Von Doom character approaches Shakespearean levels of complexity, so it seems vital to have a talented actor portray him in the MCU. Fortunately, Marvel has an excellent track record of casting the right actors for the right roles. I'm no Marvel executive, but here is a short-list of actors I think could do the character justice:
Hammer and Coster-Waldau are especially intriguing choices. Hammer stands At 6’5”with an imposing frame and can speak with a convincing Eastern European accent (see:"The Man from U.N.C.L.E."). Coster-Waldau stands at a respectable 6’2”although he's toward the upper end of the age range at 48. His run as Jaime Lannister on "Game of Thrones" has demonstrated outstanding acting ability as well as a preview of what he would look like in armor.
THE HIGH EVOLUTIONARY
In the Comics:
Herbert Wyndham was born in England in the early 1900's, and studied under Nathaniel Essex (the eventual X-Men villain, Mr. Sinister). He became fascinated with the concept of biological evolution, and eventually created a machine he called the “genetic accelerator,” which could speed up the process of evolution in any living creature. He would eventually use the machine to create his “New Men,” animals evolved into humanoid form and capable of speech and reason. He would accelerate his own personal evolution, gaining an array of superhuman abilities, such as telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, cosmic awareness, matter manipulation, and energy manipulation.
Eventually, he leaves the Earth and attempts to create his own planet as a paradise for his creations, and this leads him to cross paths with Adam Warlock (giving him the Soul Stone, no less), Ayesha, Galactus (with whom he engages in battle and loses), the Fantastic Four, Ego, and several other cosmic characters. He typically acts out of his own intellectual curiosity or to protect his work rather than holding strong convictions about morality, and this allows him to be written as both a hero and a villain at different times, though slightly more of the latter due to his similarities to Dr. Frankenstein.
What he might look like in the MCU:
Origin/Look: Rather than being a human from the early 20th Century, the MCU version of the High Evolutionary might need an alternative background. Given his interest in biological evolution and his cosmic awareness, it would make the most sense to introduce him either as A) another “Celestial” like Kurt Russell’s Ego, or B) another Elder of the Universe like the Collector and the Grandmaster. Whatever background/affiliation is chosen, it would make the most sense to have the High Evolutionary interact with the Guardians of the Galaxy, possibly as Rocket’s creator since his chief hobby is making talking, humanoid animals. He might also be the hidden force behind the Sovereign -- the golden people from "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" that prided themselves on achieving perfection through controlled, in vitro reproduction.
Age: It would make sense to portray the High Evolutionary as someone in his sixties. This would give him a grandfatherly appearance that conveys vast wisdom and experience, but still with a degree of vitality.
Powers/Abilities: The High Evolutionary possesses the powers of telepathy, telekinesis, precognition, cosmic awareness, matter manipulation, and energy manipulation to augment his natural genius intellect. He typically wears a sentient suit of armor that is highly durable and capable of regenerating itself. In keeping with most other characters adapted for the MCU, his powers will likely be nerfed to make things more compelling. I just hope he doesn’t end up as a crazy space Frankenstein-turned-taxidermist.
Fan-Cast Actors:
When casting the High Evolutionary, one would need to find someone who could be convincing as a scholar, a sage, and potentially a maniacal cult leader with quixotic -- if not completely outdated -- notions of social structure.
Mark Hamill is currently rumored to be in "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" possibly playing this very character. Colin Firth -- the only Mr. Darcy worth remembering -- is perhaps a bit young, but his British accent creates a nice bridge back to the character’s comic origins. As for Mel Gibson, I dare you to tell me that a bearded William Wallace wouldn’t be a great follow-up to bearded planet-man and Star-Lord sire, Kurt Russell. Finally, Christoph Waltz would be a good pick if the MCU goes the route of making the character a peer to Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster and Benicio Del Toro’s Collector -- both zany eccentrics in their own right.
Gambit
Before Avengers: Infinity War came out, I speculated that the whole saga might end with the Infinity Stones being destroyed, so they could never again be collected for one person to use (check!). I further speculated that, in such a scenario, their destruction would likely release vast amounts of cosmic power (check!). This, in turn, led me to the conclusion that such an event could be a plausible explanation for the sudden presence of mutants in the MCU, with the power within each of the stones being divided among a proportion of beings across the universe. For example, mutants who can teleport might have absorbed some of the Space Stone, telepaths might have inherited a portion from the Mind Stone, and those with superhuman strength or energy-based powers might have received energy from the Power Stone. And because of the Time Stone, these energies may have been spread throughout the past and future. Alternatively, mutants could have resulted from any of the alternate timelines created from the events of "Avengers: Endgame."
However it happens, it’s pretty much a certainty that mutants are coming to the MCU, and while that thought is very exciting, some cautious restraint might be in order, especially given the dubious history of the Fox X-Men franchise. My own personal preference would be to avoid casting and introducing some of the more familiar characters for a few more years at least, which would allow them to fade a bit from the collective consciousness. I would suggest introducing the concept of mutants through characters on the periphery of the X-Men universe then bringing back more well-known names without risking burnout.
One of the more interesting X-Men yet to receive an adequate portrayal in a movie is Remy LeBeau/Gambit. With all apologies to Taylor Kitsch, what could've been a fine performance by him was wasted through the befuddling writing and direction of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."With the appropriate writer and actor (NOT Channing Tatum, thank you very much), Remy LeBeau could be for the MCU what Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday was for "Tombstone" -- a roguishly charming Southerner with a quick wit and formidable fighting skills.
In the Comics:
Remy LeBeau is a mutant that hails from New Orleans and speaks with a distinct Cajun accent that includes frequently referring to himself in the 3rd person. He belonged to a thieves’ guild in his early years, and retains the skills and guarded nature that he developed during that time. After a number of misadventures, one of which involves him having his potentially Omega-level powers limited to manageable levels (an alternate version of Gambit was capable of destroying the Phoenix Force and a sizable portion of the Earth), he was brought to the X-Men by Storm, and he distinguished himself as a vital member of the team.
What he might look like in the MCU:
Origin/Look: There isn’t much about Gambit’s character that needs to be changed other than perhaps his clothing. His trademark look includes shaggy, feathered auburn hair, red eyes, a lean frame, brown trench coat, deck of playing cards, and a metal staff.
Age: Thirties to fifties, as long as his age and appearance is not an impediment to his charm.
Powers/Abilities: Gambit possesses the ability to “charge” objects with kinetic energy. He typically uses this ability in conjunction with his skill at throwing playing cards, which turns them into explosive projectiles. Gambit is also a skilled thief and hand-to-hand combatant, sometimes using his mutant power to give his staff greater impact.
Fan-Cast Actors:
I’m admittedly a bit pickier about casting Gambit simply because he’s my personal favorite. That said, I think that there are some hallmark qualities that are non-negotiable for the role: lean(ish) build, good hair, believable Cajun accent, and roguish charm.
Holloway seems far and away the best choice. He has the perfect look, tons of charisma, and nearly every character he's portrayed essentially IS Remy LeBeau -- especially Sawyer from "Lost." Unfortunately, he's 49 and may have aged out of the role at this point. Hartnett is another actor with a repertoire of roles similar to Remy LeBeau, and Garrett Hedlund would be a good choice if the MCU wanted to go a more youthful, brooding route. Last but not least, James Franco. No, seriously. He checks all of the boxes in terms of look, age, and charisma although it remains to be seen whether he can pull off the Cajun accent.
That's it for this round. Agree? Disagree? Be sure to let us know with a LIKE or a COMMENT!