5 Characters I Want to See In the MCU…And Who Should Play Them

Even with new Marvel Cinematic Universe projects being announced over the last few years, there are still several characters that have yet to be seen in Marvel’s ever-expanding interconnected universe. A couple of the characters on this list are all but guaranteed to show up eventually as they are villains for an iconic hero set to have his first solo outing in the MCU next year. But I still want to see them finally done right. With each charater, I’ve also listed who my dream casting would be. What other characters would you like to see in the MCU? Do you have a better casting in mind for any of these? Let me know in the comments.

Green Goblin – Jason Isaacs

The Green Goblin is my all-time favorite villain (probably because Spider-Man is my all-time favorite comic character). While Willem Dafoe did well in his portrayal of Norman Osborn, I couldn’t help but feel like there was something missing: menace. Jason Isaacs, having already brought Lucius Malfoy and Captain Hook to life, can undoubtedly play a villain well. He also can convey menace as well as anyone in the business. As Green Goblin is Spidey’s nemesis, I’m sure we’ll see him sooner rather than later, but I just can’t wait to see him as part of the MCU and feel like Isaacs would be perfect for the role.

Venom – Tom Hardy

Another Spider-Man villain that appeared in the Wall-Crawler’s original trilogy. Where Green Goblin was actually done pretty well in that series, Venom was not. Hardly resembling the character from the comics, Eddie Brock was shown as a small, weakling of a man that was almost dwarfed by Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker. This is not supposed to be the case. Eddie Brock is a massive individual that should dwarf Spider-Man even without the symbiote. This is why I think Tom Hardy would play this part so well. He proved in his role as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises that he can put on large amounts of muscle mass for a part. Then add in that he’s just an incredible actor as well, and you have a can’t miss casting for Venom.

Moon Knight – Jensen Ackles

Easily one of the most under appreciated, under marketed heroes in all of comics, Moon Knight needs a movie franchise or television series yesterday. The character is tailor made to be part of the darker, grittier corner of the MCU on Netflix. Jensen Ackles, best known for his role as Dean on Supernatural, would be perfect for the role. A rather underrated asset himself, Ackles would be bring a genuineness and touch of humor to a role that could very easily be made overly serious, and could pull off the badass quality that is a must for Moon Knight. On top of that, he also bears a remarkable resemblance to Moon Knight’s alter ego, Marc Spector.

Ghost Rider – Josh Holloway

Stuck with the terrible taste in my mouth from the awful Nicholas Cage-fronted Ghost Rider movie franchise, I’m ready to see Johnny Blaze represented properly. Ghost Rider is an extremely compelling character in the comic world. So the MCU counterpart should be shown as such. Not the pun-spewing, blandness we got before. I’m torn on where the Ghost Rider should be though: the dark, violent content necessary for the character is more in line with the Netflix family of the MCU, but the amount of visual effects needed to pull it off would be more in the budget range of an MCU film. Whichever way they go, Josh Holloway, of Lost and Colony fame, would make a great Ghost Rider. He’s a very good actor that can easily pull off the dramatic elements required for the part. But even more, Holloway would give the character the cool-factor that was so missing from the last portrayal.

Spider-Woman – Kate Beckinsale

Another character that should have gotten the movie treatment a long time ago. With HYDRA being destroyed at the end of season 3 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Woman’s backstory would have to be reworked, but I have faith that Marvel Studios could come up with a new dark and tragic history for the assassin turned superhero. I’ll admit that I love Kate Beckinsale. So perhaps I’m biased in my feeling that she should play Spider-Woman in the MCU. But my adoration aside, she is a fantastic actress with serious dramatic chops, but has shown in the Underworld franchise that she can handle action-heavy sci-fi roles as well. Add in the fact that she is absolutely gorgeous, which is a necessary element to the Jessica Drew character, and you have the perfect Spider-Woman.

Daredevil Series Cast Taking Shape

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding into Netflix shows with the upcoming Iron Fist, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones series, and Defenders miniseries. Casting speculation for Iron Fist has been running rampant, but nothing has been announced to date. The cast for Daredevil, however, is coming together.

It was announced a few weeks ago that British actor Charlie Cox, of Boardwalk Empire fame, would be playing the titular character. I’m not familiar at all with his work, as I’ve yet to see a single film or television show he’s been in. So I have no real frame of reference for him, which is kind of a good thing. I have no expectations of him, good or bad, and will be able to simply judge him based solely on his performance as Matt Murdock without any baggage.

Today, Marvel Studios revealed that Daredevil’s nemesis Wilson Fisk (a.k.a. The Kingpin) will be played by Emmy nominated actor Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Men In Black, The Cell, Law & Order: Criminal Intent). Yet another gem of a casting job by Marvel. I think D’Onofrio is perfect for the role of Marvel’s greatest organized crime boss and real-world type villain. He’s a fantastic actor who brings instant credibility to the series. Also, he can play dark, violent, and intimidating as good as anyone. I was already looking forward to this series, but this has me totally excited. Hopefully the casting for the rest of the MCU Netflix series will be this spot on.