Summary

Ben Mendelsohn, who played Talos in the MCU, wants to play Doctor Doom and thinks the character should be done justice.
Mendelsohn’s Talos recently died in Disney+’s Secret Invasion.
Doctor Doom should soon make his debut in the MCU, possibly in the Fantastic Four movie or in the two upcoming Avengers films.

A Marvel Cinematic Universe star whose character recently died wants to be recast as Doctor Doom. Throughout the MCU’s best movies and series, the franchise has seen some truly amazing villains. However, few MCU foes — and Marvel Comics villains as a whole — can stand alongside Doom. With the arrival of Doctor Doom in the MCU coming closer, a previous star of the franchise wants to play the villain.

Speaking to GQ, MCU Talos actor Ben Mendelsohn revealed he wants to play Doctor Doom. Mendelsohn’s Talos recently died in the MCU’s Phase 5, with the evil Skrull known as Gravik killing him in front of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in Secret Invasion. With previous MCU actors having played multiple roles in the franchise, perhaps Mendelsohn could get his wish of playing the iconic Marvel villain. Check out the full quote below:

“I would almost give my eyes and teeth to play Doctor Doom. I think Doctor Doom is the great unread Marvel character that could and should be done.”

Related Every Upcoming Marvel Movie: Full MCU Phase 5 & 6 List (& Beyond) Between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment, here is every upcoming Marvel movie release date and what we know about the projects so far.

When Doctor Doom Could Debut In The MCU
Doom Could Come With The Fantastic Four

Doctor Doom should not take long to join the MCU. The villain has appeared in reports as a possible solution to Marvel’s firing of Jonathan Majors. With the Kang the Conqueror actor out, the studio has yet to announce if it plans to recast Kang and his variants or pivot to another villain. According to reports, Doctor Doom is the alternative if Kang is dropped from the Multiverse Saga.

Even if Kang continues as the main villain of the Multiverse Saga, Doctor Doom can still carve his space in the MCU. 2025’s Fantastic Four movie is likely to feature Doom’s MCU debut. The villain has appeared in all the movies of the comic book team so far, and while Galactus is rumored to be the main foe that Marvel’s First Family will face in Fantastic Four, Doom could have a supporting role or appear as a cameo in the film, setting up his MCU future.

In the case that Doom is entirely absent from Fantastic Four, the villain has two high-profile movies that could see him come to the MCU. The two upcoming Avengers movies — The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars — could feature Doctor Doom. The villain could appear near the end of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, teasing his bigger role in the Multiverse Saga’s finale. Given his connection to the comic book event that inspires Avengers: Secret Wars, Doctor Doom is likely to play a major role in the film or at least make his presence felt.

How Ben Mendelsohn Could Play Doctor Doom In the MCU
He Previously Played The Skrull Talos

Talos was introduced to the MCU in Captain Marvel as a Skrull who becomes an ally of both Carol Danvers and Nick Fury. Although Mendelsohn appears as himself quite a bit in Secret Invasion, he’s still ultimately playing an alien. Marvel could very easily recast him as Dr. Victor Von Doom with the implicit or explicit explanation being that Talos modeled his human visage after Victor. Or, Marvel doesn’t need to comment on it at all, since they’ve recast actors/roles in the past without explanation.

Further, Doctor Doom is a villain that often wears a mask. Past adaptations of the Fantastic Four have depicted Victor’s transformation in Doctor Doom alongside the origin stories of Marvel’s First Family, but the MCU doesn’t need to repeat that story. Instead, the MCU could introduce a Victor Von Doom who’s already become Doctor Doom and begun donning his mask. If the MCU never shows Doctor Doom’s true face, then there’s no reason Mendelsohn couldn’t play the iconic Marvel villain despite already appearing as Talos. The actor would excel at playing Doctor Doom, so hopefully his past MCU involvement won’t exclude him from the role.

Source: GQ

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