Recasting the MCU: Part 11

By Austin Johnson

Just one more segment to go after this one! We have a fantastic group here for Part 11 which is dedicated to Chadwick Boseman just like every segment. A true King who possessed a great amount of skill and grace. We miss you Chadwick!

5.) Nico Hiraga as Ned Leeds

Portrayed by Jacob Batalon in the MCU.

I really like the comedic tone of the recent Spider-Man films and it’s obvious that Jacob Batalon is a big part of that. He’s 24, so I want to stay in the low 20’s and go with Nico Hiraga for this swap. He’s 23 and has a pretty small acting resume but he kinda stole the show in Moxie, he’s a bright spot in Booksmart, and he crushed it in North Hollywood. He’s a super talented skater with a whole lot of natural acting abilities. Acting abilities just like the man, Batalon.

4.) Tom Cruise as Justin Hammer

Portrayed by Sam Rockwell in the MCU.

I’ve been waiting for this moment. The moment where I can confidently place Tom Cruise into the MCU. Sam Rockwell crushes every role he commits to, but I gotta say, I’m not really into any of the Iron Man films. I don’t ever want to rewatch them in comparison to some of the other MCU films. Cruise playing Justin Hammer, a weapons contractor is so perfect that it hurts. The dude's resume is loaded, but why not add the superhero genre to the mix. Rockwell is 52 and Cruise is 58. We’ll take it!

3.) Bruce Willis as Ultron

Portrayed by James Spader in the MCU.

Part of the reason I wanted to do this recast was to look at a character like Ultron and just have some bloody fun with it. James Spader is 61 and a TV legend, but I want a film legend for Ultron. Bruce fuckin Willis is 66 and totally capable of making this a fun and badass character. Bruce has one of the most absurd IMDB pages with 139 acting credits from 1980 to now. It’s kind of a miracle that he hasn’t appeared in a Marvel film yet, but instead of him being on the good side like usual, we will make him a supervillain.

2.) Aubrey Plaza as Darcy Lewis

Portrayed by Kat Dennings in the MCU.

Aubrey Plaza is usually my favorite or one of my favorite things about every film she is in. She’s 36 and taking the place of 34 year old Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis. Plaza could play a really cool villain like she did in the TV show Legion on FX, but those Thor films need all the help they can get so she’s on the good side for now.

1.) Rooney Mara as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the MCU.

I really like Scar Jo’s work as Black Widow and the new film looks quite entertaining. She’s someone who I personally find very difficult to replace, but there are definitely women who could give us a totally different take on the character. Rooney Mara was the first name that came to my mind and it stuck as she is one of my personal favorite performers working today. Both ladies are 36, so let’s get Rooney to bring some of that Lisbeth Salander Dragon Tattoo energy over to the MCU.