Fans may be disappointed that Noah Hawley’s Doctor Doom standalone film will probably not see fruition anytime soon, but they shouldn’t abandon hope about getting the legendary Marvel villain back on the big screen. The Disney-Fox merger has taken an important step towards becoming reality with Kevin Feige revealing he’s waiting on a certain important phone call. Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed has even expressed interest in directing a Fantastic Four film for the MCU.
All of this suggests Marvel’s First Family could play a big role in Phase 4 of the MCU. So, the question is: who should play Doctor Doom? Several suitable actors are already well known for a villain role that appeals to a particular aspect of Doom’s character. Here are six villainous actors perfect for playing the MCU version of Doctor Doom.
Ben Mendelsohn
Mendelsohn was Noah Hawley’s choice to play Doom in his film and for good reason. As Director Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Mendelsohn’s character exhibits many of Doom’s important traits. Both characters are steely, exhibit hubris, and even wear a cool cloak.
Most importantly, like Doom, Krennic is determined to see his own ambitions come true while callously disregarding anything and anyone else. Krennic’s desire to ascend to the top of the Galactic Empire is akin to Doom’s quest to become the most powerful being in the universe. In this quest, Krennic plays a pivotal role in the creation of the Death Star and demonstrates the superweapon on Jedha City. His loving admiration over the resulting death and destruction would be a classic Doom moment. Mendelsohn’s portrayal of Krennic has indeed prepared him to illustrate Doom’s evilness.
Ralph Fiennes
As Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, Fiennes is quite haunting in his portrayal of the powerful wizard. He conjured up particularly gruesome ways to try and kill Harry, starting with the Avada Kedavra curse when Harry is just a baby.
Doom can be downright horrifying at times in the comics, especially when it comes to his dealings with the Fantastic Four, whom he considers his sworn enemies. He once used mystical abilities to switch their powers just to torture them. This aspect of Doom’s character has sorely been lacking in every Fantastic Four movie so far. Fiennes would be the perfect choice to portray a version of Doom that sends a chill through the audience.
Bryan Cranston
The man responsible for bringing to life antihero Walter White in Breaking Bad deserves a chance to portray the legendary Marvel villain. Perhaps the most important aspect of Doom’s personality is his intelligence, and Cranston would shine in bringing this aspect of Doom to life. After all, it is Walter’s expertise in chemistry that begins his meth empire.
Even more impressive than their backgrounds in science is both Walter’s and Doom’s strategizing abilities. Walter always seems to have a clever solution for wading his way through a harrowing situation. Similarly, Doom masterminds creative methods for eliminating his adversaries. Walter maintains the confidence necessary for clearly thinking things through. Such gravitas puts Cranston in a uniquely ideal position to play Doom.
Shasha Roiz
Roiz’s role as Captain Sean Renard on NBC’s hit series Grimm may lean more heroic than villainous, and this positions him to play off a unique side of Doom. There have been times in which Doom isn’t the villain of the story, whether he’s battling a greater threat or, yes, flat out aiding the Fantastic Four or another hero. For Renard, it’s the opposite.
Renard ultimately comes off heroic, but you question his allegiance throughout the series. He lies to Nick from the start about his knowledge regarding Nick’s ancestors and even had associate Adalind Schade attempt to kill Nick’s Aunt Marie. Such dichotomy in a character is no easy feat to pull off. It would be great seeing Roiz portray a more complicated version of Doom.
Denzel Washington
It’s time we got to see Doctor Doom in his natural habitat: in his homeland of Latveria where he rules with an iron fist as King. Doom’s rule over the country is that of an absolute monarchy. What he decrees is law, and no one has the power to question his authority. Sure, Latveria may seem like a utopia at times, but this comes at the high cost of sacrificing freedom.
A unique source of inspiration for this more manipulative version of Doom could draw from Washington’s role as corrupt police detective Alonzo Harris in Training Day. Harris uses his authority and intimidation to successfully put other corrupt cops and gang members in his pocket to do his bidding. Despite being known by some as crooked, Harris is a decorated officer who’s able to cleverly disguise his misdeeds as legitimate police work. Washington could be just what the doctor ordered in illustrating Doom’s tyrannical side.
Jennifer Lawrence
Gender swapping characters in the MCU is not a new concept. Tilda Swinton and Carrie-Anne Moss have both portrayed characters that are usually male in the Ancient One and Jeryn Hogarth respectively. Doctor Doom’s prominence in the Marvel Universe would make it a huge gamble to cast the character as female. Such a gamble could pay off in spades if the right person is chosen, such as Jennifer Lawrence.
It certainly helps that she’s already played another Marvel baddie: Brotherhood Mutant Mystique. Both Mystique and Doom come from tragic backgrounds. Lawrence would do well in showing that Doom can sometimes elicit sympathy as well as occasionally have a conscience. Perhaps the MCU should introduce us to Victoria Von Doom rather than Victor Von Doom.
