Why The MCU Star Who Wants To Be Recast As Doctor Doom After Their Phase 5 Death Is Perfect For The Role

A Marvel Cinematic Universe star whose character was killed in Phase 5 wants to play Doctor Doom, and they may just be the perfect candidate for the Phase 6 villain. Since the announcement that Marvel Studios is reportedly moving away from Kang the Conqueror as the Multiverse Saga’s main antagonist, attention has turned to Doctor Doom as his replacement before the story of Avengers: Secret Wars. This would certainly be a viable option given Doom’s integral role in the Secret Wars comic books, which could be aided by the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot set for release in 2025.

While the villain of the Fantastic Four movie is reportedly set to be Galactus, Doom could very easily be foreshadowed for a future role. With attention turning to how Doom will be incorporated into the upcoming list of Marvel movies, an equal amount of attention has been directed at who will be chosen to play the iconic villain. Interestingly, a candidate has already revealed himself to play Doctor Doom: Talos actor Ben Mendelsohn. After Talos’ untimely death in Phase 5’s Secret Invasion, Mendelsohn has explicitly expressed his desire to play Doom and could prove to be a fantastic choice.

Ben Mendelsohn Has The Acting Talent & Marvel History To Be A Perfect Doctor Doom

Several prior aspects of Mendelsohn’s career prove he could be amazing as Victor von Doom.

Mendelsohn’s recent comments that he would love to play Doom not only make sense because of his connection to the Marvel brand, but simply because he is a fantastic actor. Mendelsohn has long been an actor revered for his talent, from his performance in Netflix’s Bloodline for which he won an Emmy to the gravitas he brought to popular franchises like the MCU and Star Wars. Aside from the obvious strengths Mendelsohn has as an actor, he has expressed his desire to play the character of Doctor Doom more than once.

In June 2023, when Mendelsohn was promoting his seemingly final MCU project Secret Invasion, the actor told TheWrap that he thinks Doctor Doom is the best Marvel character in the franchise’s history. Mendelsohn pointed out that Doom’s backstory is one of the best in Marvel Comics, even stating that “the Fantastic Four suck” in a hilarious jab towards Doom’s primary foes. Combining Mendelsohn’s acting abilities, his past with Marvel Studios, and the obvious love he has shown towards Doom specifically, it seems as though the perfect choice to bring the villainous character to life.

Why Doctor Doom Avoids The Only Downside Of Recasting A Pre-Existing MCU Character In The Franchise Again

Doctor Doom’s character has a built-in trait that avoids the problems of an MCU recast.

Mendelsohn’s comments that he would love to play Doctor Doom raise the argument that recasting a pre-existing MCU actor would not work. However, Doctor Doom is one of the sole characters that could be adapted from Marvel Comics to avoid the one downside to recasting a former franchise actor in the role. The reason for this stems from Doom’s iconic physical appearance, with the character often donning his metal mask. This alone would provide Mendelsohn with the opportunity to play Doom without comparisons being drawn toward Talos, as the actor’s face would be hidden.

Furthermore, another aspect of Doom’s character means that even the removal of his iconic mask would allow Mendelsohn to play the villain. Underneath the metal mask, Victor von Doom’s face is scarred due to an explosion in his Marvel Comics backstory. This means that even in the instances that Doom is unmasked in the MCU, the prosthetics that would likely be used to disfigure his face would cause a disparity in likeness between him and Mendelsohn’s Talos.

The MCU’s Casting History Proves Ben Mendelsohn Could Be Doctor Doom

The franchise is no stranger to casting actors in multiple roles.

Finally, the last element of the MCU that proves Mendelsohn could play Doctor Doom is the franchise’s history with recasting. A commonly, albeit wrongly, held belief regarding the MCU is that actors are not permitted to play multiple roles. This belief stems from the idea that major actors such as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, or the other original Avengers for instance, have not played anyone other than their main characters. That said, there are several characters in the MCU played by actors with multiple Marvel roles.

While many more MCU actors have multiple roles that would be too numerous to count, the examples provided are more than enough to prove that Mendelsohn could play Doctor Doom. Also, Mendelsohn’s first character, Talos, was a Skrull, meaning the majority of his appearances came as a green shape-shifter. For all of the reasons mentioned and the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s previous willingness to recast some of its major actors, Ben Mendelsohn may be the perfect candidate to bring Doctor Doom to life once more.

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