Spider-Man: Far From Home opened up a whole new door of possibilities for the MCU, particularly with casting. J. K. Simmon’s return to the J. Jonah Jameson role has gotten people thinking about other actor’s from prior Marvel movies who should make a return in the MCU.
Even if the particular movie they starred in wasn’t great, their performance still shines through and would greatly benefit an already stellar lineup of films. In that vein, the next ten entries will look through non-MCU Marvel movies to find actors we want returning to their role.
Ray Stevenson - Punisher
Punisher: Warzone is unrelentingly violent, and portrays the vigilante as an unstoppable force who is already far removed from his humanity, though traces of it still shine through in certain moments. Some consider it the best adaptation of the classic character.
Unfortunately, it garnered minuscule returns at the box office, dooming any chance of a sequel. Ray Stevenson played Volstagg in the Thor trilogy, but that character met a dignified fate during Ragnarok, opening up the possibility for him to don the skull armor once again.
Patrick Stewart - Professor Xavier
Patrick Stewart’s casting in the first X-Men film gave the comic book adaptation pedigree and class. The veteran actor took the role seriously, and it shows on film. His last appearance was in Logan, where he eventually bites the dust, but anything is possible in the Marvel universe, especially considering that it wasn’t the first time he died, either.
Surely some writers could come up with a convincing way to bring him back into the fray. Fans would accept any excuse to see the thespian back in the iconic role.
Tobey Maguire
Yes, the MCU is big enough for more than one Spider-Man. Far From Home’s trailers teased the potential of a multiverse, but that turned out to be a facade. It looks like they’ll really do it soon, though, with the Dr. Strange sequel being titled In the Multiverse of Madness.
If they introduce multiple versions of the same character, they’d be downright foolish not to bring back Tobey Maguire. It would only be right to pay respects to the superhero movie that blew the doors wide open on comic book adaptations.
Brian Cox - William Stryker
X2 is still considered one of the stronger entries in the X-Men film franchise. As such, Marvel shouldn’t forget about it when they finally start introducing the mutants to the MCU. Part of what made it so good was the cold, evil performance Brian Cox gave as William Stryker.
While most of society is scared and intolerant of mutants, William Stryker doesn’t even see them as human, and uses his own mutant son in an attempt to eliminate them from the planet.
Willem Dafoe - Norman Osborne
Willem Dafoe can play a role with restraint, but can also ham it up with the best of them when the need arises. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man gave him the opportunity to do both, sometimes in the same scene.
The actor has also said that the role was a real blast to play. It makes sense; even serious actors love to give melodramatic, overblown performances sometimes. Should they bring back Norman Osborne, they need Willem to come back too.
Ian McKellen - Magneto
Ian McKellen brought humanity to the villain that no one else could duplicate. One wouldn’t expect a comic book antagonist to have such complexity, but audiences consistently sympathize with Magneto because of his backstory and desire to do what’s right for mutants, even if his methods are too aggressive.
Seeing McKellen manipulating metal once more would be a joy words couldn’t express. It would also go a long ways towards giving the MCU some better villains. To its credit, the franchise has remedied this issue in recent years, but it is always good to have some more sympathetic bad guys.
Dash Mihok - Soap
Despite its extreme violence, Punisher: War Zone is brimming with moments of dark comedy. Dash Mihok’s portrayal of Soap contributes to the comedic relief. He’s also one of the few characters that has Frank’s back.
If one assumes the film takes place when it was filmed, there is nothing contradicting the idea that the movie is set in the MCU already. With the Netflix show’s cancellation, the door is wide open for the Punisher and his characters to come back.
Dylan Baker - Curt Connors
Dylan Baker played Curt Connors in the second and third Spider-Man films. When the ill-fated Spider-Man 4 was in development, they were planning to have Curt make his transformation into The Lizard. Unfortunately, the series was rebooted. To rub salt into the wounds, The Amazing Spider-Man used The Lizard anyway.
Dylan deserves a chance at playing the villain the series was preparing him to become. It is still unknown what villains will show up in the third Spider-Man film, so here’s hoping they give the actor a call and get him back in the fray.
Hugh Jackman - Wolverine
Some dreams seem impossible, but the impossible has been known to come true. It is hard to imagine anyone else donning the claws and sideburns other than Hugh Jackman. The character met his fate already, but maybe there is some way to bring him back.
With the multiverse soon becoming a possibility, why not just pluck a different Wolverine from somewhere else? Considering the crazy time travel storylines the X-Men films employ, the idea is not too far fetched.
Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool
Thanos literally had a stone that could shape and break reality for people, but Deadpool’s meta-humor would take things to a whole new level. The wisecracking mercenary already references the MCU in his quips, so is it really such a leap to have him join the roster?
With Thanos out of the picture, Josh Brolin could come in as Cable. One thing’s for sure, though - it would still have to be a raunchy rated R comedy.
Next: 10 Possibilities Opened Up By The Multiverse In The MCU
