One of the more disappointing aspects of recent Marvel Studios projects was the deaths of Cobie Smulders‘ Maria Hill and Ben Mendelsohn‘s Talos (strained leader of The Skrulls on Earth) in the critical disaster “Secret Invasion.” The uneven Disney+ series seemingly ended Mendelsohn’s MCU run and is now giving hints about who he’d like to play if given a second Marvel role in the future.
While speaking with GQ Magazine (via The Playlist) the Aussie actor revealed he’d really like a shot at playing Victor Von Doom, aka, Doctor Doom if allowed to nab a secondary part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A traditional “Fantastic Four” villain that also rules over the fictional country of Latveria and has become a rogue more on the level of a major Marvel supervillain such as Loki or Thanos.
“I would almost give my eyes and teeth to play Doctor Doom,” said Mendelsohn as his dream Marvel role. “I think Doctor Doom is the great unread Marvel character that could and should be done. But it is what it is. I got to work with Spielberg, and I got to work with Terrence Malick, and I got to work with Ridley Scott. It’s been incredible. I didn’t think this ship was coming.”
There is also an expectation that Doom could end up potentially playing a pivotal role in future MCU installments even beyond “Avengers: Secret Wars” and would be a villain role that could give an actor multiple chances to return, not unlike Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. Mendelsohn isn’t a stranger to villain roles having played baddies in Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight Rises” and Krennic in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” one of the more memorable villains from the modern era of “Star Wars.”
It wouldn’t be unheard of for Mendelsohn to play another character in the MCU as we’ve seen actors such as Gemma Chan and Benedict Cumberbatch come to mind who have played both MCU heroes and villains. Doom wearing a mask as part of his operatic costume could also obscure his face for most if not all of his screen time and make it even easier for Mendelsohn to not be recognized as appearing in “Captain Marvel” and “Secret Invasion” previously.
When it comes to “Fantastic Four” we really only have one actor set for the MCU reboot as fellow “Star Wars” alumn Pedro Pascal is all but confirmed to play Dr. Reed Richards, aka, Mister Fantastic. It doesn’t hurt that Pascal and Mendelsohn recently worked together on the film “Freaky Tales,” helmed by “Captain Marvel” directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. We’re still waiting on some trade reports or announcements from Marvel Studios to give an idea of who will actually round out the cast of director Matt Shakman‘s reboot of Marvel’s first family after endless rumors/speculation on who else will join the film.
SOURCE: GQ MAGAZINE
THE RONIN 