Recasting the MCU: Part 1

By Austin Johnson

The MCU pretty much nailed every single role throughout the entire run which is why I think recasting them will be so much fun. I chose sixty characters based off of the amount of screen time they had but I simply don’t want to do all sixty at once so I’m going to do them in parts. Each part will have five recasts and they will be drawn randomly. I’m not a massive fan of the MCU but I respect the hell out of what they accomplished over their unprecedented run of twenty-three films. They’re going to keep coming eventually and I’ll check them all out at my own pace. The best part for me as an audience member who is watching superhero films is that some world class actors are totally locked in as these timeless characters that have been a part of American pop culture for a very long time. Most of these recasts might not even be anywhere near as good as the real thing but I’m going to try my best. Also, I can’t just choose some fucking legend like Brando for Stark even though that would be awesome. The actor has to be a realistic age. They don’t have to look the same necessarily but the recast has to be someone who could’ve hypothetically auditioned and got the part. They also can’t be someone who's ever appeared in the MCU. My girlfriend helped me draw five names randomly and honestly the first name is someone I didn’t even recognize at first glance.

5.) Peter Stormare as Dr. Erik Selvig

Portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård in the MCU.

When I looked up “Erik Selvig”, I smiled ear to ear because I love Stellan. This is what I mean when I say I’m not a massive MCU fan. I don’t quite know or understand the ins and outs but I do know that it’s hard to recast Stellan in anything. I’m going to go with his fellow Swede, Peter Stormare. They’re three years apart, both pretty tall, and have the ability to play an astrophysicist. I don’t think there’s much any one actor can do for either of the Thor films but Stormare wouldn’t take anything away.

4.) Viggo Mortensen as Kaecilius

Portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen in the MCU.

Mads was born in Denmark and is 54, so I’m going to choose Viggo Mortensen who has dual citizenship in the US and Denmark and is 61. I think Viggo has a tremendous amount of talent just like Mads and the Danish connection makes that seven year age gap easier to swallow. It would be pretty sweet to see Viggo as a supervillain and a character that is so different from what we are used to seeing him play.

3.) John Goodman as Obadiah Stane

Portrayed by Jeff Bridges in the MCU.

Jeff Bridges is one of the actors that I just can’t believe is in a superhero franchise. He’s been around forever and there really is only one way to recast The Dude as wannabe CEO of Stark Industries and that’s with Walter Sobchak aka John fucking Goodman. He could totally pull Obadiah off, being all jealous of Tony and his arrogant ways. Goodman takes nothing away from the table, but only adds. It’s hard to take these actors away but if we do then we gotta do it right.

2.) Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Portrayed by Tom Holland in the MCU.

Homecoming and Far From Home are both really solid and I think we can all agree that Holland has been the best overall Peter/Spidey. This is a much bigger character than those first three and I feel like making a risky move with the recast. Kelvin Harrison Jr. is almost 26 years old, just about two years older than Holland and perfect for playing the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Kelvin has stood out recently in It Comes at Night, Luce, and Waves. I think he would have a challenge playing Peter Parker but due to his really strong build he would look spectacular in the suit and I love his voice for those cheesy one-liners.

1.) Delroy Lindo as Nick Fury

Portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in the MCU.

This is one that is extremely difficult for so many reasons, but the main one is that it is so hard to get Samuel L. Jackson out of your head if he’s already there. Jackson is turning 72 later on this year so we gotta get an older dude to take his place. Delroy Lindo is turning 68 later this year and might win an Oscar for his role in Da 5 Bloods. Jackson and Lindo have both worked with Spike Lee multiple times and can flat out act. I think Lindo could pull that eye patch off and add something extra gritty to the performances.