Recasting the MCU: Part 12
By Austin Johnson
Here we are. The last part of this MCU recast project is here with an awesome group of characters yet again. We have swapped a total of 60 characters, so I want to make sure there’s a recap at the bottom of these last 5. This entire project is dedicated to Chadwick Boseman, a man whose legacy will live on forever.
5.) Léa Seydoux as Mantis
Portrayed by Pom Klementieff in the MCU.
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Klementieff is a Canadian-born French actress who has appeared in a handful of French films. We gotta respect the French part of her by swapping her for Léa Seydoux, who was born in Paris and is the exact same age as Klementieff at 35. There’s a unique and almost quiet tone to Klementieff’s performances as Mantis in the late stages leading up to Endgame. Seydoux totally has the ability to shine bright as someone who is those things.
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4.) Michael Jai White as Heimdall
Portrayed by Idris Elba in the MCU.
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Idris Elba is one of the most beloved actors working right now. He has talent and range like nobody else. He just might be the most handsome 48 year old in the world. We simply cannot replace him without taking a risk. That risk is Michael Jai White, who is 56 and a massive human being. He made history when he took the role of Spawn in 1997, but playing Heimdall would help his career tremendously. We have a new gatekeeper for Asgard and he’s one I would not fuck with.
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3.) Paul Dano as Quentin Beck/Mysterio
Portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal in the MCU.
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I just want to have fun with Mysterio. Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano are two of my all time favorite performers. They killed it together in Prisoners from 2013 and Jake knocked his performance out of the park in Paul Dano’s directorial debut, Wild Life. This feels like the right swap even though it’s risky. Gyllenhaal is 40 and Dano is 37. Remember 2004 when Gyllenhaal was in The Day After Tomorrow and Dano was in The Girl Next Door? They’ve come a long way.
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2.) Ralph Fiennes as Doctor Strange
Portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the MCU.
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The 2016 Doctor Strange film is super cool and Benedict Cumberbatch does a solid job of carrying it. He is even better in stretches like Infinity War, where it’s kind of a heat check attitude. That’s kind of his best attribute to me as a performer. He carries shit like Sherlock with grace and tenacity, but he can also drop your jaw for a few minutes in 1917. This caused me to think about guys who have that exact same kind of talent and it was hard to pass on Ralph Fiennes. They are 14 years apart but Ralph can play Voldemort, Gareth Mallory, and M. Gustave. His range is limitless and I’m shocked he hasn’t shown up in the MCU yet. He could play multiple villains, but I think it’d be a fun challenge to see him play one of the good guys.
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1.) Javier Bardem as Thanos
Portrayed by Josh Brolin in the MCU.
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This is so bloody difficult for so many reasons. Quite frankly, not many people could make Thanos look cool and extremely frightening. I do like making recast connections that are risky though and honestly I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t swap Josh Brolin for his No Country For Old Men co-star, Javier Bardem. They are just a year apart as Brolin is 53 and Bardem is 52. Talent seems to just ooze out of both dudes and they continue to work with awesome directors and writers today.
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Peter Stormare for Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig
Viggo Mortensen for Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius
John Goodman for Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane
Kelvin Harrison Jr. for Tom Holland as Spider-Man
Delroy Lindo for Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Christopher Walken for Michael Douglas as Hank Pym
Jessica Chastain for Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
Cynthia Erivo for Danai Gurira as Okoye
Gbenga Akinnagbe for Anthony Mackie as Falcon
Ryan Gosling for Chris Evans as Captain America
John David Washington for Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther
Malcolm McDowell for Anthony Hopkins as Odin
Emily Blunt for Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
Mos Def for Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo
Janelle Monae for Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
Daniel Day-Lewis for Hugo Weaving as Red Skull
Evan Rachel Wood for Karen Gillan as Nebula
Vince Vaughn for Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
Christian Bale for Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Blake Lively for Brie Larson as Captain Marvel
Charlize Theron for Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer
Mark Wahlberg for Corey Stoll as Yellowjacket
LaKeith Stanfield for Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger
Adam Driver for Chris Pratt as Star-Lord
Tom Hardy for Chris Hemsworth as Thor
John Travolta for Mickey Rourke as Whiplash
Michaela Coel for Letitia Wright as Shuri
Bill Murray for Michael Keaton as The Vulture
Jason Statham for Vin Diesel as Groot
Ben Stiller for Mark Ruffalo as Hulk
Rashida Jones for Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne
Triple H for Dave Bautista as Drax
Vera Farmiga for Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
Michael Fassbender for Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye
Robert Pattinson for Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
Jack Nicholson for William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross
Owen Wilson for Bradley Cooper as Rocket
Nicole Beharie for Zoe Saldana as Gamora
Alicia Vikander for Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch
Heath Ledger for Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
Dustin Hoffman for Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce
Woody Harrelson for Michael Rooker as Yondu
Harrison Ford for Kurt Russell Ego
DeWanda Wise for Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia
Ewan McGregor for Paul Bettany as Vision
Gael Garcia Bernal for Michael Pena as Luis
Steve Buscemi for Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
Michael K. Williams for Don Cheadle as War Machine
Halle Berry for Tilda Swinton as Ancient One
Adam Sandler for Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
Nico Hiraga for Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
Tom Cruise for Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer
Bruce Willis for James Spader as Ultron
Aubrey Plaza for Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis
Rooney Mara for Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
Lea Seydoux for Pom Klementieff as Mantis
Michael Jai White for Idris Elba as Heimdall
Paul Dano for Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio
Ralph Fiennes for Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange
Javier Bardem for Josh Brolin as Thanos
Viggo Mortensen for Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius
John Goodman for Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane
Kelvin Harrison Jr. for Tom Holland as Spider-Man
Delroy Lindo for Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Christopher Walken for Michael Douglas as Hank Pym
Jessica Chastain for Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
Cynthia Erivo for Danai Gurira as Okoye
Gbenga Akinnagbe for Anthony Mackie as Falcon
Ryan Gosling for Chris Evans as Captain America
John David Washington for Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther
Malcolm McDowell for Anthony Hopkins as Odin
Emily Blunt for Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
Mos Def for Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo
Janelle Monae for Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
Daniel Day-Lewis for Hugo Weaving as Red Skull
Evan Rachel Wood for Karen Gillan as Nebula
Vince Vaughn for Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
Christian Bale for Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Blake Lively for Brie Larson as Captain Marvel
Charlize Theron for Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer
Mark Wahlberg for Corey Stoll as Yellowjacket
LaKeith Stanfield for Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger
Adam Driver for Chris Pratt as Star-Lord
Tom Hardy for Chris Hemsworth as Thor
John Travolta for Mickey Rourke as Whiplash
Michaela Coel for Letitia Wright as Shuri
Bill Murray for Michael Keaton as The Vulture
Jason Statham for Vin Diesel as Groot
Ben Stiller for Mark Ruffalo as Hulk
Rashida Jones for Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne
Triple H for Dave Bautista as Drax
Vera Farmiga for Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
Michael Fassbender for Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye
Robert Pattinson for Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
Jack Nicholson for William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross
Owen Wilson for Bradley Cooper as Rocket
Nicole Beharie for Zoe Saldana as Gamora
Alicia Vikander for Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch
Heath Ledger for Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
Dustin Hoffman for Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce
Woody Harrelson for Michael Rooker as Yondu
Harrison Ford for Kurt Russell Ego
DeWanda Wise for Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia
Ewan McGregor for Paul Bettany as Vision
Gael Garcia Bernal for Michael Pena as Luis
Steve Buscemi for Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
Michael K. Williams for Don Cheadle as War Machine
Halle Berry for Tilda Swinton as Ancient One
Adam Sandler for Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
Nico Hiraga for Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
Tom Cruise for Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer
Bruce Willis for James Spader as Ultron
Aubrey Plaza for Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis
Rooney Mara for Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
Lea Seydoux for Pom Klementieff as Mantis
Michael Jai White for Idris Elba as Heimdall
Paul Dano for Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio
Ralph Fiennes for Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange
Javier Bardem for Josh Brolin as Thanos