Marvel Characters Perfect For The Rock
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Marvel envy is showing. During the 2016 MTV Movie Awards in April, the wrestler-turned-actor cracked a series of jokes about Marvel movie actors before taking the stage in a DC Comics Black Adam t-shirt, confirming that he'll be entering the DC Extended Universe as the hulking supervillain in 2019. But there are tons of great Marvel characters that Johnson could have played if he'd just asked. He may never get to meet Spider-Man now, but here are a few MCU casting decisions that would have been perfect for the Rock.
Black Bolt
The fate of Marvel's The Inhumans film remains uncertain, but the silent king of the alien-human hybrids would be a solid fit for the Rock. The ridiculously-named Blackagar Boltagon can destroy mountains with a whisper of his super-voice, which is why he's cursed to never speak. He's often depicted as fairly expressionless and stoic in his comic appearances, but that probably wouldn't work too well on the big screen—he'd need to be portrayed by a master of facial expressions like Johnson. He may not be fit for a totally serious speaking role, but as silently musclebound ass-kicker, he'd be ideal. Just look at everything Vin Diesel did with Groot.
Wonder Man
Perhaps the most natural personality fit is the role of Simon Williams, also known as Wonder Man. He's a super-strong guy with the power to manipulate energy...but he's also a bit of a hammy actor. Because both Wonder Man and the Rock are a little hard to take seriously, it would probably be a pretty good fit. There's truly no form of acting more ridiculous or over the top than wrestling—it's like mime on literal steroids. Unfortunately, the Rock was scooped in this role, as the equally ridiculous Nathan Fillion will be seen as Wonder Man in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Fillion's appearance is being described as a cameo, however, which might leave some room for the Rock to step in.
Strong Guy
We'll probably never see a movie or TV show about X-Factor, one of the dozens of spin-off X-Men teams, but if we do, it'll be the strangest part of the Marvel Universe by far. The most visually ridiculous hero on the team is Strong Guy, a dude with a stupid name and musculature so overblown that he can't wear normal shirts and it's made his heart work overtime. Strong Guy is also a bit of a comedian and a talented actor, not unlike Wonder Man. We all know how funny it was to see a chunky Rock in Central Intelligence—now give us a whole movie full of the guy in a totally physically overblown state.
Namor
One of Marvel's earliest heroes, Namor has never appeared in any official live-action production, despite numerous attempts. Two different TV series were planned in the 1950s and 1970s, and a Namor film has been stuck in development hell since 1997, but the star power of the Rock could easily push it into the realm of reality. As the haughty king of Marvel's version of Atlantis, he'd be the perfect foil for Jason Momoa in DC's upcoming Aquaman. And Johnson has had years of practice prancing around in tiny shorts and no shirt, so his portrayal of Marvel's original mutant would go swimmingly.
D-Man
No one likes Demolition Man, and that's hilarious. He's an ex-wrestler, he palled around with Captain America, he stole parts of his costume from Daredevil and Wolverine, and he's just kind of a huge, hulking doofus. The Rock would be a pretty solid fit for a hero with a heart of gold and a brain of pudding, simply because he's so adept at weird and/or physical comedy. Even if we only ever see the version of D-Man that rules over some sewer people and has a serious talk with Daredevil about his hygiene, the Rock is the guy.
Cable
According to CinemaBlend, fan favorite Stephen Lang is out of the running to play Cable in the second Deadpool film, due to scheduling conflicts with Avatar 2. The film needs a quick replacement for the time-traveling techno-hero. He's gotta be big, and the actor playing him has to have enough comedic chops to work with an obnoxious, fast-talking Ryan Reynolds. If anyone knows how to work with fidgety co-stars, it's the Rock. Add a metal arm and some white hair, and you have a natural-born Cable with enough ironic star power to fuel a million fourth wall-breaking jokes.
Ares
The Rock is no stranger to playing gods and demigods. He's played Hercules, after all, and even served a stint as the Tooth Fairy. Marvel's Ares would be an especially good fit because he doesn't stand for good or evil as much as he's driven by an unquenchable need to get into fights, no matter the purpose—kinda like your average WWE star whenever he climbs into the ring. Shifting between hero and villain, depending on wherever the best battles can be found, the Rock could easily play the god of war.
M.O.D.O.K.
Now that we know a Ms. Marvel film is on the horizon, it's time to roll out Marvel's most bizarre villain: M.O.D.O.K. (or "Mobile Organism Designed Only for Killing"). He's a giant, floating head who has ties to Captain America, the Hulk, SHIELD, and countless other Marvel heroes...but his heart truly beats for Ms. Marvel. In the comics, the character is sometimes treated as a serious threat to Earth; sometimes, he's a complete and total waste of a hoverchair. A comedic M.O.D.O.K. who's so smart that he gets in his own way would be a pretty great role for the Rock. Plus, just picture a giant, floating Rock head with tiny arms. The jokes write themselves.
The Thing
This is totally wishful thinking, but if Marvel ever gets its hands back on the film rights to the Fantastic Four, the casting needs to be ridiculously on-point, and the Rock would be a great fit for the Thing. An ugly guy you can't help but love, he jokes through his inner turmoil, he has a pair of beautiful eyes wedged into the rocky crevices of his face, and he packs a mean punch. Another too-serious Fantastic Four movie would be a mistake, but the MCU movies have been pretty great at mixing comedy with pathos. It could be just a motion-capture performance, but with the right script, Johnson would make an amazing Thing. And he's already called "The Rock"! He's named after the stuff the Thing is covered with. It's casting perfection.