Highlights
New Fantastic Four casting rumors claim three new names have emerged in the running to portray Doctor Doom: Mads Mikkelsen, Ralph Fiennes, and Jason Clarke.
Since day one, The Fantastic Four has been on the mind of Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, who crafted the MCU franchise around the Avengers largely due to the film rights for Marvel’s First Family and the X-Men not being available at the time Marvel Studios was created. With Disney’s acquisition bringing the characters back into the Marvel fold, Feige and fellows have been working on how best to integrate the Fantastic Four into the MCU, eventually settling on a 2025 standalone project that allegedly brings the iconic villain Galactus and his storied herald The Silver Surfer along with the team.
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While Marvel Studio’s top pick for Fantastic Four‘s Galactus might be conflicted, reports suggest that the field is a bit more stacked for the casting of Doctor Doom. According to John Rocha on The Hot Mic YouTube channel, both Harry Potter star Ralph Feinnes and Jason Clarke, most recently seen in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer,are currently in consideration by Marvel Studios for the role of Victor Von Doom, the man behind the mask of Fantastic Four archnemesis Doctor Doom. Fiennes excelled as the villainous Lord Voldemort and has a massive wealth of experience on stage and screen to draw from, while Clarke is also quite tenured in several intense roles.
In addition to those two names, John Campea took to his own YouTube channel to report that Mads Mikkelsen, a great actor whom Marvel previously wasted in an underwhelming role in 2016’s Doctor Strange,is not just on the shortlist for the role of Doom as well, but has allegedly already been offered the part of the menacing masked man. Taking the news from Rocha into account, Mikkelson may be the first choice for Doom a la Javier Bardem’s Galactus, while the other two names are potential backups for the casting team. If so, this is a smart move, as Mikkelsen is in demand because he is talented and has projects lined up with no clear time frame.
Marvel Studios’ chance to turn the Kang problem into an opportunity via the introduction of Doctor Doom has been discussed at length by many, as the iconic visage and compelling characterization that the character brings are sure to make a more impactful impression than Kang’s lackluster debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Additionally, Doom is the main antagonist of the most recent iteration of the Secret Wars storyline, which Marvel Studios may loosely adapt in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars,a film set to be the final act of the Multiverse Saga. While more recent reports suggest that the plan is to use Doom differently, it’s still an important role that any of the three actors mentioned would excel at.
While there have certainly been setbacks, such as the extensive strikes that halted any work from being done for most of the year, Marvel Studios’ woes with Fantastic Four projects aren’t a new thing. The iconic hero team has seen every attempt at endearing them to the general public meet with difficulties, so fans can only hope that Feige and his chosen team can deliver this time.
The MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot is currently set for theatrical release on May 2, 2025.
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four are Marvel’s original team of superheroes. After being bombarded by cosmic rays, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm gained amazing superpowers, taking on the mantles of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing. Their main adversary, Doctor Doom, has become one of Marvel’s all-time great villains.
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Source: The Hot Mic, John Campea
Fantastic Four MCU cast rumors from multiple sources posit three qualified choices to take on the villain Doctor Doom, but are they true? Read More