The Marvel Villain You Likely Forgot Riverdale's Mackenzie Gray Played
Fans of The CW's "Riverdale" are already familiar with actor Mackenzie Gray through his role as Dr. Curdle, the town's somewhat unsettling coroner in its first two seasons. Beyond weirding people out on the series, however, Gray has had a long and successful career filled with a variety of roles. He has appeared in everything from the sci-fi "Stargate" franchise to cartoons like "Ninjago: Masters of Spinjutsu" (via IMDb).
However, there is one role that you likely forgot Gray played, assuming you ever recognized him in the first place. The role in question is an iconic Marvel villain in one of the comic giant's many cartoon spin-offs. But what makes Gray's role in this series really interesting is how it serves as the tip of a veritable superhero iceberg. Throughout his entire 40-plus year career, Gray has been a part of a surprising number of superhero series belonging to both Marvel and DC.
You definitely missed Mackenzie Gray in Iron Man: Armored Adventures
Originally aired in 2008, "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" arrived just in time to capitalize on the success of the first MCU "Iron Man" movie and the rise in popularity of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. The show had its fair share of differences from the films, aging Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper down to teenagers, presumably to make the cartoon more relatable to kids. That, however, did little to change Mackenzie Gray's role as Obadiah Stane, the Iron Monger.
Stane was, of course, also the villain of the first "Iron Man" movie, where he is played by Jeff Bridges. In that film, Stane looks to take over Stark Industries from Tony so that he can continue to manufacture weapons and sell the Iron Man suit. In "Armored Adventures," the character's motives haven't changed very much, though in this universe he is already named CEO since Tony is too young to run Stark Industries. He also has a sympathetic side in the love he has for his daughter, Whitney. He eventually meets his end when he falls from Stark tower in his Iron Monger suit, falling into a coma that he never wakes up from. However, "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" is but the least of Gray's superhero media appearances.
Gray has appeared in many other superhero franchises
As it turns out, several of Gray's most notable roles are in superhero franchises. Years after his role in "Iron Man: Armored Adventures," he appeared in "Legion," the collaborative series from FX and Marvel set in Marvel's comic book universe. There, Gray plays a mutant named Walter (better known as The Eye) who works on behalf of the U.S. Government's Division 3, an organization dedicated to tracking and potentially killing some of the world's more dangerous mutants.
Years earlier, in 2006, Gray also had a small role in the DC series "Smallville." There, he played a clone of the enigmatic Lex Luthor for a few episodes. He wouldn't stay there for very long, however, and it would be several years before he returned to DC's fold. The first time he did so was in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel," where he played the Kryptonian Jax-Ur. He then returned to DC for two episodes of "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" as the Time Master and an unnamed Council Member. Finally, in 2017 he appeared in The CW's "Supergirl" series as Greggor.
While none of Gray's other superhero roles lasted as long as that of Stane in "Iron Man: Armored Adventures," it's still interesting to see the effect even several small roles can have. One way or another, Gray's influence is all over both Marvel and DC properties, even if you didn't quite notice it.