Marvel Studios has begun bringing in actors from films that aren’t considered MCU canon, thanks toSpider-Man: No Way Homeand the supposed return of Professor X inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.Fans were excited to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprise their Spider-Man roles and continue their story alongside Tom Holland, making these cameos one of the biggest successes the MCU has had to date.
A lot of viewers are hoping that the originalX-Men will returnin some fashion, the way Evan Peters did inWandaVision,and with the expansion of the multiverse almost anything is possible. Here are 5 actors who deserve the chance to make an official MCU appearance.
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Jennifer Garner (Elektra)
Jennifer Garner played the titular character in the 2005 movie,Elektra, which received lackluster reviews from critics and fans alike. Garner is a talented actress, so the problem wasn’t necessarily that she did a bad job in the role, but that the woman-led movie was created during a time when writers struggled to create compelling female superheroes.
Elektradidn’t prioritize the heroine’s power in a way that was believable, but now that the MCU is finally figuring out what to do with its female heroes, Garner should be given the chance to come back and live up to her full potential.
Ed Gale/Chip Zien (Howard The Duck)
The original movie starring Howard the Duck was strange, ridiculous and totally floppedat the box officeupon its release. Since then, fans have come to appreciate the character more, but it certainly doesn’t detract from the film’s failures.
Howard the Duck has made a few brief cameos in the MCU, but his presence in the franchise is largely unnoticed amongst all the other multiverse chaos. With that being said, characters like Alligator Loki andInto The Spider-Verse’sPeter Porker have managed to worm their way into the hearts of Marvel fans. So, it seems as if these strange human-like animals have made quite an impact on audiences.
Bringing back Gale, who wore the duck suit in the 1986 movie, or even Howard’s voice actor, Chip Zien, could offer them a shot at redeeming the character. It would definitely be a bold move on the MCU’s part, since their more recent projects have been taking on serious themes. But, based on the reaction fans have had to characters of a similar nature, perhaps Howard the Duck could offer some much-needed tension breaks, if he were to have a bigger role in an MCU project.
Kerry Washington (Alicia Masters)
Kerry Washington played Alicia Masters in the 2005Fantastic Fourfilm, absolutely nailing the part, even though it was a smaller part. Washington has had a very successful career, proving how talented of an actress she is in the televised series,Scandal.With plans for aFantastic Fourreboot in the MCU, bringing back Washington to reprise her role would make for an interesting connection between the earlier films and the new, revamped version.
Topher Grace (Venom)
Topher Grace played Venom in Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy, immortalizing the battle between Spider-Man and the symbiote forever. Marvel is currently working on bringing Venom into the MCU, just like they found a place for Tobey Maguire, who also starred in the Raimi trilogy.
Tom Hardy’s Venom has briefly been to the MCU, thanks to everything going on with the multiverse, and he also confirmed that symbiotes have a hive mind, which spans across multiple universes. Hardy’s Venom knows that Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker, which fans speculate is because of the interactions between Grace’s Venom and Maguire’s Peter Parker inSpider-Man 3.
Bringing back Grace for some Venom vs Venom action would make for an interesting twist, but could also confirm what fans are thinking about the symbiotes’ hive mind. This would also allow Grace to create some more depth with his version of Venom, who isn’t as sympathetic as Hardy’s version of the character. Either way, Marvelfans love Venomand having more than 1 in a multiversal showdown would definitely be something they’d love to see.
Elliot Page (Kitty Pryde)
Elliot Page played Kitty Pryde inX-Men: The Last Standin 2006,long before he announced in 2020 that he’s transgender. Elliot’s performance in the movie was great, but overshadowed by the overall shortcomings of the film that was rather chaotic in nature.The Last Standwas a bit over-stuffed by all the plot lines being crammed into a single film, which (at times) detracted from the stars’ performances.
The MCU has been taking steps to be more inclusive, featuring queer folks and people of color in their recent projects. However, Marvel Studios has yet to offer any trans representation in the franchise. Having already had experience playing a superhero, on top of all his other successful projects likeThe Umbrella Academy,Page would be an excellent addition to the MCU. Reprising a male-identifying variant of his original X-Men character, or perhaps playing someone else entirely, Page would shine in a superhero role and give trans youth the opportunity to see themselves represented on screen.
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