10 MCU Casting Announcements We’re Most Excited For in 2024

The MCU may only have one movie coming out in 2024, but there are still plenty of exciting casting announcements that are expected before the end of the year. While the MCU has succeeded to to interesting stories and strong characters from the pages of Marvel Comics, there’s little doubt that the franchise wouldn’t be the cinematic juggernaut that it is today without nearly flawless casting over the last decade and a half. Between now-iconic performances from central figures like Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark or Chris Evan’s Steve Rogers and smaller but no less effective side characters, the MCU thrives on talented casts.

While more mutants are among the most anticipated heroes and villains set to debut in the MCU, it seems likely that they won’t be cast until the X-Men reboot movie lands a writer, director, and story. Instead, the Fantastic Four seems like a lock for the next major players to find their actors, but they’re far from the only ones. The MCU has to recast a few previously occupied roles, and there are still some unknowns for upcoming MCU TV shows that may become official in 2024.

10 Foggy Nelson’s MCU Future Is Unclear

Foggy Was Previously Played By Elden Henson

It appears that the three seasons of Daredevil that originally aired on Netflix will be officially made MCU canon, but the status of Matt Murdock’s business partner and close friend remains unclear. Though not officially confirmed, rumors abound that Daredevil: Born Again was set to kill Foggy Nelson in a flashback. However, with Born Again getting a new creative team and largely starting over from square one, it’s unclear if Foggy’s death will remain or not. Even if the character is saved, it’s unclear if Elden Helson will reprise the role or if, like characters such as Vanessa Fisk, scheduling issues will mandate a recast.

9 Sentry Was Already Cast Once In The MCU

Steven Yeun Was Unofficially Set To Play Sentry In Thunderbolts

Steven Yeun recently dropped from Marvel’s Thunderbolts cast due to scheduling conflicts after the movie’s film dates were delayed. While never officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, the rumors and the actor’s own hints all but solidified that he was set to play Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry. With Thunderbolts set to release in 2025, Marvel will surely find and announce a replacement soon. Despite looking like yet another Superman knockoff, Sentry is a tormented Jekyll and Hyde-like hero who demands an actor with experience portraying immense self-loathing, regret, and confusion.

8 Sue Storm Will Reportedly Anchor Marvel’s Fantastic Four Reboot

The Invisible Woman Has Previously Been Portrayed By Jessica Alba and Kate Marra, Among Others

It was expected that the cast for Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four would be announced by now, but none of the four leads have been confirmed despite filming reportedly starting in spring 2024. Sue Storm is reportedly set be the defacto lead of Fantastic Four, though each member of Marvel’s first family will surely get a major focus. Rumors have swirled about actors such as Venessa Kirby, Mila Kunis, Margot Robbie, and many, many more stepping into the role, and hopefully, Marvel Studios will confirm which talent they’ve secured sooner than later.

7 Johnny Storm Needs To Be Fun And Charismatic

A Stranger Thing Star Is Reportedly A Front-Runner

Johnny Storm is the young, confident powerhouse of the Fantastic Four, and whoever lands the role needs to have the bravado to stand out in a franchise already filled with charismatic leads. There haven’t been quite as many rumors about who may play the Human Torch as his sister or bother-in-law, but Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn is a name that’d repeatedly come up. Whether it’s him or someone else, there are large shoes to fill playing Johnny Storm, who was most recently played by MCU alums Michael B. Jordan and Chris Evans.

6 Reed Richards Will Likely Get A New Actor For The Fantastic Four Movie

Richards Appeared Briefly In Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

Reed Richards’ casting is interesting as the character has already appeared in the MCU. John Krasinski got to play the smartest man in the world for a few scenes in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, Krasinski has claimed it was never meant to be more than a fun cameo, and the former The Office star doesn’t seem set to return to the character. Marvel Studios has reportedly had a tough time landing their read, with rumored actors including Adam Driver and Pen Badgley never coming to fruition. Most recently, Pedro Pascal has been reported for the role, though nothing official has been released.

5 Benjamin Grimm Is A Tough Role To Play

The Thing Will Require Heavy Prosthetics Or Extensive CGI

Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, is a tough role to cast as the character’s rocky body will necessitate that the actor either be covered in heavy prosthetics (like Micahel Chiklis in the mid-2000s Fantastic Four movies) or simply provide motion capture for CGI (like Jamie Bell for much of Fantastic Four (2015)). The latest rumors indicate that The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach is being eyed for the role, but the final selection will undoubtedly be announced sometime in early 2024.

4 Doctor Doom May Be The MCU’s Next Big Bad

Doom May Appear Sooner With The MCU’s Kang Troubles

Doctor Doom may be the most anticipated villain not yet scene in the MCU. The ruler of Lateveria is a wildly popular and important character in Marvel Comics, yet, for some reason, both his previous live-action iterations failed to capture what makes him compelling. Doom isn’t so much a true villain as someone who looks out for his people above all else – even when that puts him in conflict with the heroes of the world. Reports indicate that Marvel Studios considered replacing Kang with Doom after the former’s poor reception, and with Kang in an even worse place, Doom may be introduced sooner rather than later.

3 Galactus Is Rumored To Appear In Fantastic Four

Casting Rumors Indicate He’ll Have A More Classic Humanoid Form

It’s a bold move to jump right into such a bizarre and powerful threat in the Fantastic Four’s MCU debut, but casting rumors suggest the planet eater will appear in some capacity. Moreover, the list of rumored Galactus actors, which is reportedly topped by Javier Bardem, indicates that he’ll be an actual person instead of the vague cloud in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. If Galactus is in the movie, his presence may be kept under wraps, but it’s entirely possible casting news will come out as Fantastic Four nears filming.

2 Mephisto May Become More That A Meme

Mephisto Has Been Rumored To Appear In Several MCU Projects

Audiences have been predicting Mephisto’s debut in the MCU going back to WandaVision, and the constant and constantly incorrect guesses have become a bit of a meme in and of themselves. However, signs point to Mephisto’s debut finally happening in an unexpected project. Ironheartmay not be the first hero that comes to mind when Marvel’s supernatural side is mentioned, but rumors indicate that Mephisto will appear in her series and be involved in business dealings related to the former Avengers tower (and that he’ll appear in human form). Sacha Baron Cohen has long been connected to the part, and 2024 may finally confirm or deny his involvement.

1 Kang Will Either Be Recast Or Replaced

Kang Actor Jonathan Majors Is Officially Out

The MCU is in a tough spot as Marvel Studios officially parted ways with Kang actor Jonathan Majors following his assault and harassment conviction in late 2023. Given Kang is set to be the central villain of several years of Marvel movies, Disney and Marvel Studios need to decide whether to recast Kang or move away from the character entirely. If Marvel does recast the villain, which seems likely given future movies have been written with his presence in mind, there are several talented actors who could play a great Kang. If so, it seems the replacement will surely be announced sometime early in 2024.

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