Fancasting the Marvel Cinematic Universe

[DeadlyDuo]

Just imagine you've been given the role of casting director in the MCU. You have sole decision over who to cast and for what role. You can cast for any character who has not yet appeared in the MCU and you can even recast established roles if you so wish. Who do you cast for which characters and why?

 

[DeadlyDuo]

Obviously the X-Men will inevitably arrive in the MCU at some point, so here's my picks for who I'd like to play some of the mutants and how I envision the MCU versions of the characters:

Storm- Zazie Beetz

Storm is likely going to be a "face" of the MCU because she ticks boxes. Fortunately there is more to her character than just her gender and skin colour so hopefully the movie won't reduce her down to those genetic traits.

I envision MCU Storm to have been born in Africa but raised in America. Her parents are dead which forced her onto the streets where she became a petty thief in order to survive (which is how she met Gambit and the two formed a big brother/little sister type of relationship). Storm has since improved her life, she rents her own small apartment and has a job as a waitress at a diner. Money is tight but she works hard and gets by reasonably well. She lives alone but lets Gambit sleep on her couch whenever he is in town. Beetz has expressed an interest in playing Storm in the past (she auditioned for the role in X-Men apocalypse) and I think she could put a different spin on the character.

It would be nice if they could keep Beetz's natural hairstyle (similar to the above pic) and just dye her hair white for Storm (differentiating her from both the Halle Berry version and the Alexandra Shipp version), but depending on how it looks, that might not be possible.

Gambit-Nathan Parsons

Gambit and Rogue are my two favourite X-Men characters so they're the ones I'm most looking forward to seeing.

I envision MCU Gambit to be a morally dubious person. He's a trained thief for hire who isn't too picky about who he works for so long as he gets paid. Aside from Storm, he doesn't really have any meaningful relationships with anybody so he tends to roam around the country, never really settling anywhere for too long. I think Gambit works best as someone who isn't a bad person but who does questionable things. He's happy that Storm has "moved up" in the world but doesn't really see that in his future. He was raised to be a thief and considers himself too far down that path where he has no other option but to continue on. I think Parsons can play that aspect well, even when a character is in the wrong, he can elicit sympathy from the audience.

I also think it would be good to have a relationship between a male and female that isn't romantic.

Rogue- Kat Solko

Rogue has been the character that I've had the most problem fancasting, just when I think I've settled on an actress, I change my mind. However I think I've finally found the answer.

I envision MCU Rogue to be someone who is fairly confident but quietly resigned to the fact that her powers prevent her from having skin to skin contact with people which means that she can no longer have a physically intimate relationship with someone. She takes precautions, such as wearing gloves and covering up, to prevent accidental skin contact and she gets on with life without too much complaint but she does long to be able to touch people without running the risk of killing them. Solko isn't the most well known person on this list and has fewer acting credits but she can act and I think she's got the right look and personality to play MCU Rogue (who sooner or later is going to put Captain Marvel in a coma).

Beast- Hugh Laurie

I envision MCU Beast to be a rather friendly intellectual person when in human form and I think Hugh Laurie gives off that vibe. I'd probably go for a Jekyll/Hyde or werewolf type scenario with Beast at least initially (kind of like in X-Men Evolution) where Hank McCoy tries to rid himself of the beast within only to become permanently blue and furry. It also creates a similarity between Beast and Hulk and since both are in the scientific field, it can also create a camaraderie between the two. Motion capture would probably be the best way to turn Laurie into Beast, similar to how they turned Mark Ruffalo into Hulk.

 

[HowiMetdaSlayer]

Off the top of my head...

Rogue:

Halt & Catch Fire's Susanna Skaggs

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Halt & Catch Fire's Susanna Skaggs

I don't remember her... did she look different? Who was she?

 

[HowiMetdaSlayer]

She was one of Gordon & Donna's daughters. She's the one who basically came up with the search site's motif: (Haley's) "Comet"

 

[DeadlyDuo]

All my "envisionings" of the X-Men characters are set before they actually join up and become the X-Men so they're all leading their separate lives.

Jubilee- Brianne Tju

Originally I thought of having Jubilee be the age of the actress (early 20s) which is older than how the character is usually portrayed, however she is actually younger than Tom Holland and you don't want a character who is supposed to be older look younger than a character who is supposed to be younger but looks older. Therefore I envision MCU Jubilee to be a peer of Peter Parker where they are both about 18. She's one of the "in" crowd hence why she and Peter have never interacted before, however as anti-mutant sentiment begins to grow, it causes her to become ostracised and an outcast which causes Peter to feel sympathy for her. He begins spending more time with her, much to MJ's jealousy and Peter's friends are much less receptive to her joining the friendship group. She's kind of like what Cordelia was to the scoobies in terms of dynamic. She's a bit of a rebel and begins leading Peter astray, much to the concern of his friends. Her and MJ don't get on, partly due to MJ's jealousy and partly due to the fact that Jubilee hasn't been nice to the group in the past. Jubilee deliberately antagonises MJ by flirting with Peter, knowing that the two are dating, and eventually the animosity between them descends into a fight. MJ demands that Peter chose between them and he hesitates which causes MJ to get upset and leave in a huff which makes Peter feel bad. He tries to talk to her but she doesn't want to hear it.

Peter, not wanting to lose MJ, tells Jubilee that he can't spend time with her anymore and though she pretends she doesn't care, she is actually deeply hurt by this because she was developing genuine feelings for him (though isn't in love with him). MJ and Peter reconcile but later MJ finds Jubilee in the Girls bathroom in tears and looking worse for wear because she's been beaten up by some fellow students. I would actually make the culprits be black males for two reasons: a) it's a portrayal of black on Asian racism, though in this specific case it's less about Jubilee being Asian and more about her being a mutant, and b) it avoids the stereotype of white people being racist and POC sticking together because "racism". MJ helps Jubilee clean herself up and Jubilee thanks her and apologises for her bad behaviour towards MJ. The two girls settle their differences and become somewhat friends (until graduation, after which they lose contact with each other) and Jubilee reassures MJ that Peter loves her. Jubilee is then welcomed back into the group.

Jean Grey- Rachelle Lefevre

Jean Grey should be a natural redhead, especially since Disney have so far erased two iconic redheads (Ariel from their little Mermaid remake and Mary Jane from Spiderman).

I envision MCU Jean Grey to be a doctor who runs a free clinic which is financed by Stark Industries as a charitable cause. She enjoys her job and her telepathy enables her to read her patients thoughts and get to the true cause of their injuries eg she knows someone didn't "walk into a door" when they come into the clinic with a black eye and broken ribs. This means she can get her patients to open up and get them the help and support they need. She'd also be in a pre-established relationship with Cyclops.

I think Lefevre has the look and ability to play both the compassionate Jean Grey and eventually the more malevolent Dark Phoenix.

Cyclops- Josh Dallas

I know Dallas has already appeared in the MCU as Fandral in Thor, however since the part was recast and it was over 10 years ago, I doubt anyone in the general audience would remember.

I envision MCU Cyclops as a cop. He's often portrayed as a bit of a boy scout in comparison to Wolverine but has the ability to take on leadership so being a cop would suit his personality and morality to help people. I'd have him in an already pre-established relationship with Jean Grey because the audience already knows they're going to end up togetehr so no point beating around the bush, they could already be married so that the inevitable Wolverine/Jean Grey/Cyclops love triangle becomes more about Wolverine's unrequited love for an unavailable woman rather than Jean being indecisive between the two men.

I think Dallas would do well in that role because he can play highly moral characters without making them seem sanctimonious.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

Magneto- Charles Dance

The biggest problem with getting Magneto into the MCU is that his origin is based on a real world event (The Holocaust) and the MCU is currently in the year 2023. Even if you put Magneto born at the very end of World War 2, you're still looking at an aging character in his late 70s. Add to the fact that mutants aren't widespread in the MCU (I think the snap will be used as the reason why mutants are suddenly so widespread when they weren't before) and you have a difficult situation of trying to stay true to the character's ideology when it comes to mutants vs humans yet there's not been that conflict before now.

I envision MCU Magneto to have been born at the end of The Holocaust so his experience of that terrible event is through the impact of the long-lasting damage it had on his family. This would currently put him at about 78 in the MCU. Maybe he could be the owner of a WW2 museum so he's well versed in the history of that time and the growing anti-mutant sentiment begins to display some alarming similarities to that history which is what plays into Magneto's pro-mutant/anti-human stance. I would actually kill Magneto off after one movie for three reasons: 1. Because of the character's impending age- there will come a point when it looks ridiculous that the X-Men struggle to defeat an elderly man, 2. The character has already been a main part of both the original X-Men films and the prequel films over the last 20 years so it would be a change to focus on different characters rather than playing the same dynamic over and over again, and finally 3. Magneto's daughter has more or less the same powers as him so any scene that requires magnetic manipulation of metal can be done by her.

At 74, Charles Dance is within the ballpark of the character's age plus he has a commanding presence on screen which would fit Magneto's personality.

Professor X- David Suchet

Patrick Stewart did such a good job as Xavier in the previous X-Men films, it was really hard trying to find someone who could take on the role convincingly, I think David Suchet could do it. Whilst Xavier's age isn't constrained by a real world event, unlike Magneto, I think they should be around the same age to really sell that old friends vibe and fortunately both Suchet and Dance are the same age. Likewise with Magneto, Xavier has been a main character in the previous X-Men films for the past 20 years and really he's only required to give the X-Men their team name in the MCU. Therefore, I'd also kill his character off relatively early, the X-Men can call themselves X-Men to commemorate his memory whilst Jean Grey can take on the telepath role in the franchise.

I envision MCU Xavier to perhaps be Jean Grey's biological father (she took her mother's name since they were unmarried) so for both Xavier and Magneto, there's the element of their respective daughters carrying on their mantles. Since Cyclops would be married to Jean, it would also give a father/son dynamic to the Cyclops and Xavier relationship which would explain Cyclops' loyalty to Xavier's beliefs and methods.

Lila Cheney- Freema Agyeman

In some versions of the comics, Lila Cheney was a liaison who basically set up jobs between Gambit's group of thieves and people wanting to hire them so I would use that aspect in the MCU which would tie Lila's character to Gambit and Storm. Since the character hasn't been featured on-screen before, I think there is opportunity to play around with aspects of her character whereas other more well known ones are kind of set in stone.

I envision MCU Lila Cheney to own her own bar/club where she also occasionally sings (since in the comics she was a former rock star) but she tends to hire bands so she can actually focus on running the bar/club. Her liaison business is a side line that brings in some extra cash since she gets a cut of the profits for actually setting up the transaction. She'd be another morally dubious character who is useful to the heroes.

I think Agyeman would be good in the role as she gives off the vibes of someone who takes no nonsense from anybody and is not afraid to stand up fpr herself.

Polaris- Lily James

Polaris has recently been onscreen in The Gifted which I think is the character's first live action appearance so she's kind of an up and coming character compared to the more well established ones.

I envision MCU Polaris to initially be kind of naive (like she was in her Wolverine and the X-Men portrayal), always trying to see the good in people etc, but eventually as time goes on and anti-mutant sentiment grows, she begins to lose that innocence as well as be influenced by the attitude of her father. After her father's death she hardens up and vows to continue on his work fuelled by her grief which creates an anger towards humans. I think whilst MCU Polaris would ultimately like for everybody just to get along, she considers it a naive idealism that is never going to happen and there is kind of this vicious cycle where everyone is on the defensive against each other so things just keep escalating. Eventually Polaris would join the X-Men which would allow other villains to take centre stage so the Xavier/Magneto dynamic wouldn't play out too long.

I think Lily James would be good for the role because she can play happy go lucky idealism quite well but I also think she could convey the right emotion and vibe as Polaris' idealism starts to be stripped away and she becomes more cynical.

I wouldn't want the Polaris/Jean Grey dynamic to be seen as basically a gender bended Magneto and Xavier dynamic hence why their opposition to each other wouldn't carry on too long.

 

[M]

Iman as Storm from X-Men

I have no idea if she can really act, but Iman has always been my idea of what Storm should have looked and sounded like in a live action film. Now that she is older, I believe it even more so. In fact, I'd love to see a mature Storm in film.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

Timothee Chalamet as Peter Parker

Chloe Grace Moretz as Rogue

Bill Skarsgard as Loki

Matt Bomer as Bucky Barnes

Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Storm

 

[DeadlyDuo]

@Anyanka Bunny Slayer Don't you like Sebastian Stan and Tom Holland any more?

Bill Skarsgard would be a great addition to the MCU in some capacity though not as Loki 😛

Matt Bomer looks like a discount Henry Cavill.

GuGu Mbatha-Raw would be a good pick as Storm.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

I've changed my mind on who I want to play Storm. My choice is now Danielle Brooks

I'd still keep the elements from how I envision Storm from above but I think Brooks has more of the "look" for Storm than Beetz does.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

I think Brooks has more of the "look" for Storm than Beetz does.

No she doesn't. 😛

 

[DeadlyDuo]

No she doesn't. 😛

How so? Whilst Brooks is on the larger side compared to other portrayals of Storm, the character normally flies and uses her powers to defeat her enemies eg lightning bolts and hurricane strength winds, rather than engaging in hand to hand combat so it shouldn't make a dramatic difference in fight scenes. Storm should have her hair similar to the style Brooks has in the picture above (dyed white obviously) so that it can fly about during Storm's power scenes.

I'm recasting some of my decisions. So far, the only ones definitely staying the same are Parsons, Tju, and Dance. I've now recast Rogue and Xavier to Jeanine Mason and Colin Salmon respectively.

Mason has the chemistry with Parsons which would be necessary for any Rogue/Gambit relationship and that particular above image gives off a Rogue vibe in my opinion. Meanwhile, Salmon has the bald head and calm demeanour to play Xavier and isn't forever associated with Hercule Poirot like Suchet kind of is. I would've cast James Avery as Xavier if he was still alive but alas he isn't. I also think Salmon is one of those actors that slips under the radar where you recognise his face but can't instantly pinpoint where you've seen him before.

As for how these recasts would change how I would portray the characters (since different actors give off different vibes and what you could see one actor playing, you couldn't see another doing etc), Mason's Rogue would be a little more standoffish than Solko's would've been. She'd still basically just suck it up and get on with things in regards to her powers, but she'd deliberately try to keep people at a distance and it would be when she eventually joins the X-Men that she begins to let down her guard.

Salmon's Xavier would be totally different to Suchet's. For one, Jean would not be his daughter (because Jean Grey should be a natural looking red head, if not an actual natural red head). Since Salmon is 16 years younger than Dance, obviously the Magneto/Xavier dynamic would be different than if it had been Suchet and Dance. Maybe Magneto was a mentor to Xavier which developed a bond between them and enabled Xavier to make his fortune and in return support Magneto's WW2 museum financially. Xavier would also financially support a load of charities. Given that Xavier created Cerebro, he must have some technological know how, perhaps Stark Industries bought out his business with a generous offer after he became paralyzed. With the growing anti-mutant sentiment, Xavier and Magneto begin to diverge on their opinions towards the situation. I'd still kill off Magneto fairly quickly, perhaps as a result of an anti-mutant attack which gives Polaris reason to pick up the mantle and form the brotherhood as retaliation. Xavier would then form the X-Men to combat this but would still visit Magneto's grave and promise to try and bring Polaris over to the side of reason where she isn't going to get herself killed.