Doctor Doom Casting Rumors: Marvel's Wishlist For Fantastic Four Villain Revealed
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's reboot of the Fantastic Four is beginning to shape up. Pedro Pascal reportedly will take on the role of Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, with plenty of other rumors speculating who could portray the rest of Marvel's First Family. And while the indication is Galactus will be the primary villain, with Javier Bardem possibly being targeted for the part, it seems Doctor Doom will factor into the story somehow. He's one of Marvel's most significant villains, and according to even more rumors, the studio has narrowed down its casting list for who could take on the role.
On "The Hot Mic" podcast, host John Rocha said Marvel is interested in actors like Josh Hartnett, Ralph Fiennes, and Jason Clarke for the legendary antagonist. The possibility of Ryan Gosling, previously rumored to be Marvel's pick, was discussed. Another Hollywood insider, John Campea, offers a separate report, saying Marvel has "talked to" Mads Mikkelsen for Doctor Doom. While Mikkelsen has played plenty of fantastic villains over the years, his potential casting seems like a stretch, seeing how he played Kaecilius in 2016's "Doctor Strange."
With the multiverse in play, anything is possible. Or, Mikkelsen could become the next actor to play more than one role in the MCU, lending his talents to another antagonist in the franchise. The names being discussed are all great performers and any of them would be exciting for viewers. As the Multiverse Saga continues, there's also a decent possibility that Doctor Doom will become more than just a Fantastic Four villain.
Rumors also suggest Doctor Doom could replace Kang as the new big bad
Ralph Fiennes, Jason Clarke, Josh Hartnett, Ryan Gosling, and Mads Mikkelsen all have the chops to play an imposing villain, and it makes sense Marvel would look for a heavy-hitter to fill out the role of Victor von Doom. He's a pivotal force in the comics, and there's a chance Doctor Doom could have a substantial role in the MCU. Given real-life controversies surrounding Jonathan Majors, who's played various Kang the Conqueror variants in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and "Loki," Marvel may want to shift gears and not make Kang such an important character.
This is pure speculation, but Marvel Studios may try to make Doctor Doom the next big bad on par with Thanos (Josh Brolin). The "Loki" Season 2 finale arguably offers an out to not focus on Kang so much, so Doctor Doom could get introduced in "Fantastic Four" and lead the charge in the next big team-up film. Marvel could simply do away with "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" and put all its cards in "Avengers: Secret Wars," perhaps making it a two-parter, as John Rocha mentions on his podcast. Plus, it's worth mentioning Doctor Doom is the main antagonist in 2015's iteration of the "Secret Wars" storyline in the comics.
Focusing on "Secret Wars" may be putting the cart before the horse. The Fantastic Four hasn't had an overwhelmingly positive reception on the big screen yet, so Marvel should really prioritize getting that film right before deciding whether to launch Doctor Doom into other projects. Casting comes first, and the studio likely knows that expectations are high to make fans happy.