Even though the MCU has an already stacked roster of upcoming movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, not to mention the endless Disney+ series, many fans are eagerly awaiting news of the Fantastic Four movie. After a couple of dismal attempts to bring Marvel's first family to the big screen, fans are hoping the MCU's winning track record will finally do these characters justice.
While it is a shame that the four main heroes of the story haven't gotten their due in a movie, it feels like the biggest misstep in those previous movies was wasting their archnemesis. Doctor Doom is not only an iconic Marvel character in his own right, but he is also one of the greatest comic book villains ever created. With an interesting backstory and point of view, Doom has the potential to be the best MCU villain yet. While there has been endless speculation about who will play Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Doom's casting is equally essential and there are a number of exciting actors who could bring this amazing character to life.
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Starting with the long shot, Leonardo DiCaprio would be a pretty impressive casting coup for Marvel. Despite being one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, DiCaprio has stayed away from the franchise roles and has never even made a sequel to any of his movies as of yet. For DiCaprio to suddenly sign on to the biggest cinematic universe seems very unlikely, but it's hard not to see how perfect he would be as Doom.
While DiCaprio hasn't played a lot of villains in his career, he has proven to be very effective in these roles. His performance as Calvin Candie in Django Unchained is charismatic and funny while also being terrifying and repulsive. He plays the role of a truly evil man who somehow sees his actions as justified which is ideal for the character of Doom. DiCaprio has also frequently played men in powerful positions who have a darker edge, such as in The Wolf of Wall Street and The Great Gatsby. Plus, he's played The Man in the Iron Mask which feels like perfect training to play Doctor Doom.
For those who only know Sterling K. Brown from his work on the tear-jerking series This is Us, he might not seem like an obvious choice to play a megalomaniacal villain. Brown is very good at playing those warm and nurturing roles, but he also has an intensity to him that suggests he has a truly great villain role in his future. Brown did get to play the bad guy in The Predator and was one of the standout aspects of that forgettable movie.
Oddly enough, the role that shows how good Brown could be as Doom is his guest-starring role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. As a suspected murderer being interrogated, Brown has a chilling intelligence to him and an arrogance needed for the evil genius Doom. One small issue is that Brown has already appeared in the MCU as N'Jobu in Black Panther. But Marvel has already shown they can be lenient in recasting the same actors as Gemma Chan is starring in Eternals after appearing in Captain Marvel.
Steven Yeun's breakout role was as Glenn in The Walking Dead in which he played a very likable and heroic character. His recent Oscar-nominated performance in Minari as a dedicated family man is also quite endearing. But anyone who has seen the Korean thriller Burning knows how effective Yeun can be as the villain.
In that movie, Yeun plays an arrogant rich young man who seems to view other people as objects he can play with until he gets bored. It would be fascinating to see him bring the same qualities to the role of Doom, with his eerie detachment from society and thinking he is above them. Doom is a villain who thinks he is humanity's savior, but it would make sense if he had this cold approach to them at the same time.
Ever since his breakout role in Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel has gradually become one of the most interesting actors of his generation. With the release of the epic fantasy movie The Green Knight, Patel is also one of the most talked-about actors in Hollywood at the moment. There is a raw intensity that he brings to his performances, and it would be very exciting to see him sink his teeth into a larger-than-life character like Doctor Doom.
While other actors could bring out the menace and coldness in Doom, Patel is the kind of actor who would really play him as if he is the hero of the story. He could bring a lot of emotion and power to his performance to really make this character stand out as a unique and compelling antagonist.
If looking for an actor who can play a character who walks a line between hero and villain, Marvel could hardly do better than Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. He created one of the most complex television characters in recent memory with Jaime Lannister on Game of Thrones. Even if the ending of Game of Thrones wasn't satisfying to all, Jaime remains a fascinating character. From the first episode of the series, he established himself as the most hated villain on the show. But as the series continued, more layers of Jaime's character were revealed until fans actually started rooting for him.
Coster-Waldau's performance was a big reason the character worked so well. He was able to play this Jaime as someone who wanted to do the right thing but was also willing to do terrible things for what he thought was needed. He was also willing to be seen as the villain if it meant protecting the greater good. If Coster-Waldau brings that conflicted take to Doctor Doom, it could be really special.
Any news of Fantastic Four casting is probably still a long way off, but it is clear that there are a number of fine actors out there who can finally deliver a Doctor Doom fans have been waiting to see.
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