Casting Call: Marvel Cinematic Universe and X-verse

Anyone looking for my review of the Doctor Who season opener will have to wait till next week; I'll be reviewing the full two-part story in one go.


Loads of casting news for the latest Marvel adaptations has surfaced since I last wrote on the subject, trickling out until the recent flood of Luke Cage details. Deep breath...

Tom Holland
Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Captain America: Civil War, untitled Spidey movie)

No introduction for the character required here. Spidey's latest reboot has been the subject of much anticipation and aggravation since Marvel made their deal with Sony to co-produce the character's outings. 19-year-old Holland was chosen out of many auditioning young actors, and will be playing Spidey a little younger than his actual age, bringing him back to the high school kid he began as. Kevin Feige and the team behind the movies have confirmed that they won't be rehashing the origin story, which is a relief - pretty much everyone knows the origins of Spider-Man anyway now, so it's hardly essential. Considering how late in the day he was cast, Holland's role in Civil War can't be especially large (unlike in the comic crossover it's loosely based on, in which he's an intrinsic central character). Also, the producers have confirmed that Spidey is already swinging around MCU New York (a throwaway line in Ant-Man supports this). What works nicely in this set-up is that he'd have been about twelve when The Avengers took place, so he'll have been inspired by the various supers charging around his version of New York.

Like the previous film Spidey (Andrew Garfield), Tom Holland is a Brit. He's best known for his time in the lead role in Billy Elliot: The Musical, plus screen appearances in The Impossible, Wolf Hall and How I Live Now. His schedule has become a lot busier this last year. We know that after his Spidey debut in Civil War, he'll have at least one movie to himself (officially untitled, but the smart money is on The Spectacular Spider-Man), with two sequels already optioned. It'd be a big surprise to not see him at least briefly alongside the other heroes in Avengers: Infinity War, but the contract between Marvel and Sony stipulates that he can't appear in any TV properties. There are also talks of an animated Spidey movie or two, but it's unknown if any of the screen actors will take up their roles in the voice studio.

Jon Bernthal
Frank Castle/The Punisher (Daredevil s2)

One of Marvel's most popular characters, but not one who's ever really caught on well on film, ruthless vigilante Frank Castle has been played by various actors over the years: Dolph Lundgren in the 1989 Punisher movie, Thomas Jane in the 2004 reboot (and its unofficial short sequel, Dirty Laundry) and Ray Stevenson in 2008's Punisher: War Zone. So this is just the latest of various unrelated attempts to bring the character to the screen (he's also had various animated appearances, including in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series and the rather good anime Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore. The Punisher lacks superhuman abilities but is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant and tactician, who has found himself both fighting with and against various heroes throughout Marvel's comics since his debut in 1974. Jon Bernthal, best known as Shane in The Walking Dead and Joe Teague in Mob City, is an absolutely spot-on choice for the role. We'll see what side of Daredevil's fight he's on when he appears.

Elodie Yung
Elektra Natchios (Daredevil s2)

One of the most popular and important characters in the Daredevil storyline, Elektra is ninja assassin with an almost superhuman proficiency in martial arts. She's been a longtime love interest of Matt Murdock in the comics, but has almost as frequently been set against him, predominantly because he has a strict no-killing rule while she's, well, a professional murderer. Her mercenary nature has led to her aligning herself with various groups over the years, from SHIELD and HYDRA to ninja groups the Chaste and the Hand. With the Hand seemingly set to be a recurring threat in the new Defenders oriented shows, and Murdock's sensei Stick confirmed to return, Elektra's malleable allegiance could lead to some significant conflict. A line in the first series of Daredevil about a Greek student during Murdock's college days strongly implies he's already met Elektra in this storyline.

This is Elektra's second live-action casting, following on from Jennifer Garner's attempt at the role in 2003's middling Daredevil film and its woeful spin-off, the 2005 Elektra movie. French actress Elodie Yung plays Elektra in the next season of the Daredevil series. A martial artist in real life, she's appeared in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Les fils du vent and as Jinx in GI Joe: Retaliation. Not that that's any reason to go and watch that film.

Tilda Swinton
The Ancient One (Doctor Strange)

Once Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One is a Tibetan mystic, born over five hundred years ago, who is responsible for training Dr. Strange to become the Sorceror Supreme of the modern age. In the comics, he is, unsurprisingly, male, but Marvel have surprised everyone by casting English actress Tilda Swinton in the role. As with Baron Mordo (below), this is some inspired casting that totally ignores established racial and gender characteristics in favour of getting some true talent involved. Doctor Strange is looking like it'll have one of the best and most intriguing casts of any comicbook movie for years. The Ancient One's exact origins and characteristics have varied a fair bit over the years, but he's always been an incredibly aged, astonishingly powerful, albeit physically weak, sorcerer. As well as Strange and Mordo, he's been affiliated with such disparate characters as Eternity and the Black Rider, and while powerful now, is nowhere near as formidable as he was in his prime (hence his training of a new Sorcerer Supreme to take his place). Before training Strange, he almost single-handedly kept the Dread Dormammu from invading the Earth, has travelled to many other dimensions, and has continued to be a major force after death.

The Ancient One appeared, in spiritual form, in the 1978 Doctor Strange telemovie, voiced by Michael Ansara. The great Katherine Mathilda Swinton of Kimmerghame is perhaps the only actor living who is sufficiently talented, strange and remarkably unique to play the great sorcerer. Trying to sum up her career here would be a fool's errand, but for comicbook geeks, she was the Archangel Gabriel in the misguided 2005 WB adaptation of Constantine.

Chiwetel Ejiofor
Baron Mordo (Doctor Strange)

One of the great British actors of the current generation, Ejiofor's been attached to this for ages, but only recently has it finally been confirmed that he's playing Baron Mordo. One of Strange's arch-nemeses, Mordo is, in the comics, a Transylvanian of noble birth who was trained by the Ancient One to become Sorcerer Supreme, but was exiled for his treachery. Clearly, casting an Afro-English actor means that the character's origins will be tweaked a little, but the essentials will doubtless remain: Mordo is an incredibly powerful warlock who despises and opposes Strange. His abilities include, but are not limited to, hypnotism, illusionism, the summoning of demons, teleportation, astral projection, martial arts and numerous magical techniques. Plus, of course, he's been studying the magical arts longer than Strange, so he has experience on his side. In his long comics career, he's renounced evil a couple of times, but always been tempted back to the dark side.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is, of course, brilliant, and will bring some pure class to the role. Skiffy fans will know him from Serenity and Children of Men (and there's a rumour going round that he was offered the lead in Doctor Who at one stage), but his greatest roles have been in films such as 12 Years a Slave, American Gangster and Kinky Boots. He also won the Laurence Olivier Award in 2008, making him very probably the best actor to appear in the MCU by a long, long way.

Also confirmed for Doctor Strange is Rachel McAdams, aka Irene Adler in the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies, Clare in The Time Traveller's Wife and much, much more. There's no news on who she's playing, but the likelihood is that she's playing Clea, who is both his main love interest and linked closely to the demon Dormammu. There are several other characters she could be playing, though, especially considering the unexpected casting decisions this film is taking.

Mark Willig 
Lash (Agents of SHIELD s3)

Lash is very new character in Marvel comics, having been introduced in the Matt Fraction-penned series Inhuman series in 2014. An Inhuman, but not one of the main society who we normally encounter, Lash grew up in an isolated community where very few are chosen to undergo Terrigenesis and mutate into their Inhuman forms. As well as being physically formidable, Lash has the power to absorb and convert any form of energy and release it as whichever form he chooses, often intense heat. In the Inhuman storyline, Lash searches the world for "Nu-Humans" - humans who have unexpectedly transformed into Inhumans following the worldwide flood of Terrigen mist. Unlike some groups, though, Lash is dedicated to wiping out these people, who he sees as underserving of their transformation. Given the similar events at the end of season two of Agents of SHIELD, we can expect something similar to happen here, although Joss Whedon has expressed that things will not be taken directly from the comics, so there may be some surprises. Mark Willig is fairly new to acting, having had roles in NCIS and Year One among others, and was formerly a career footballer.

Also appearing in the third season of SHIELD are Constance Zimmer as Rosalind Price, an agent for a rival organisation who will cross paths with SHIELD in the hunt for new Inhumans; Juan Pablo Raba as Joey Gutierrez as one such newly transformed Inhuman, and Andrew Howard as Agent Banks, who is also set to be on the hunt for Inhumans.

Simone Missick
Misty Knight (Luke Cage)

Misty Knight is a fan-favourite character, and a big part of the stories of both Luke Cage and Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist. She's just a much a product of the seventies as Cage, being a combination of both blaxploitation cinema tropes and kung fu martial arts flicks. A former police officer, she boasts both detective skills and martial arts prowess; she lost her arm in the line of duty, receiving a bionic arm from Tony Stark that has granted her various enhanced abilities. How much of this will make it to the series in unknown, although if Phil Coulson can come back with a cyber-arm, I don't see why Misty can't. Knight's had romantic and heroic partnerships with both Cage and Rand (the latter of which has still not been cast), so she's bound to be a major part of not just the Luke Cage series, but the Iron Fist and Defenders series as well. Simone Missick is a fairly new face on screen, but she absolutely looks the part. Playing Misty's police partner Rafael Scarfe is Frank Whaley, who's had minor to middle roles in more or less everything in the last twenty years or so.

Theo Rossi
Hernan Alvarez/Shades (Luke Cage)

Shades was one of the cons sharing Luke Cage's cell during his time, and like Cage, suffered abuse at the hands of those in authority. Since he got out, the Dominican-born Shades has struggled to stay straight, acting on both sides of the law, and as both friend and enemy to Cage. At one point, he acquired a technologically-enhanced visor that allowed him to fire optic blasts (rather like Cyclops in X-Men). In latter stories, he's mostly, but not always, been on the side of right. His son, Victor Alvarez, developed some of the powers of Iron Fist when he absorbed the chi of over a hundred people in the disaster that killed Shades; with the new abilities he displayed, he took on the name Power Man, formerly used by Luke Cage. While I'm not convinced we'll see Shades blasting people with his super-sunnies on TV, I'd be surprised if Victor isn't introduced, if only as a kid. Sounds like Shades will be very much still a street criminal in this version, we shouldn't assume there's no chance for redemption. Theo Rossi has appeared in many popular shows, but is best known for his role as Juice in Sons of Anarchy .

Mahershala Ali
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Strokes (Luke Cage)

A powerful drug lord in New York, Cottonmouth was involved in the drugs sale that framed Luke Cage and led to his incarceration. A man with many enemies, he's been a target of  the Hand as well as Cage and his allies. At one point ending up with all is teeth shattered, he got them replaced with razor-sharp gold caps, and has enhanced strength in certain storylines too. Actor Mahershala Ali is familiar from The 4400, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Predators. Also cast is Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard, Cottonmouth's cousin who intends to run for office and bring change to Harlem. Woodard is a familiar face with years of screen roles behind her, most recently 12 Years a Slave and Annabelle, but is best known to genre fans for appearances in K-PAX, The Forgotten and Star Trek: First Contact.

Andre Tricoteux
Piotr Rasputin/Colossus (Deadpool)

It's confirmed that actor and stuntman Andre Tricoteux will be taking over the role of metal-plated Russian mutant Colossus in February's highly anticipated Deadpool movie. The character was previously played by Daniel Cudmore in X2, X3: The Last Stand and Days of Future Past.

Léa Seydoux
Bella Donna Boudreaux (Gambit)

The latest casting news for the Gambit  movie has confirmed that French actress Léa Seydoux will be co-starring with Channing Tatum, and although it's not been officially confirmed, it's accepted that she'll be playing Bella Donna Boudreaux, otherwise known simply as Belladonna. A mutant like Gambit, Belladonna has the ability to shoot energy blasts and to astrally project. She shares a long, complex history with Gambit in the comics, and it can be expected she'll be a combination of romantic interest and villain in the movie. Léa Seydoux is  a major rising star in Hollywood, soon set to appear in the Bond flick SPECTRE, having had previous English language credits in Inglourious Basterds and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Her most acclaimed performance is alongside Adele Exarchopoulos in the French graphic novel adaptation Blue is the Warmest Colour (aka La Vie d'Adele), an award-winning romantic drama.

Casting Call: Marvel Cinematic Universe - Television

Charlie Cox

Matt Murdock/Daredevil

Daredevil; The Defenders

The Daredevil trailer is now up, and it's looking grim, gritty and dark. Seriously, it's actually hard to see what's going on in some parts. The thirteen-part series will become available on Netflix in April, and it looks exciting. Charlie Cox is an English actor best known for as the male lead in the excellent Stardust. Matt Murdock is the Daredevil, one of Marvel's most popular heroes. Blinded by a radiactive substance that also has the effect of enhancing his remaining senses, Murdock is by day a defense lawyer but by night protects the people of Hell's Kitchen from its less salubrious characters. 

Ben Affleck played Daredevil in the 2003 Fox movie, but he's off to be Batman now. Cox plays the character for this series, one of four leading up to The Defenders, which will bring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist together. It's also possible that if the series are successful, further series could be made, and Marvel have confirmed that there's the possibility of film installments.

Vincent D'Onofrio

Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin

Daredevil

The Kingpin is, as his name suggests, a crime boss, an old school supervillain who runs the criminal empire in Marvel's version of New York. Initially a Spider-Man villain, he then became the Daredevil's archnemesis. He has no superhuman abilities, but his sheer size makes him a threat; he is enormous and vastly strong. The late Michael Clark Duncan played the character in the Daredevil movie; Vincent D'Onofrio is a fine actor, but will always be Edgar from Men in Black to many of us. His Kingpin should eclipse that though, and I'd be surprised if he didn't reappear in Daredevil's sister series.

Eldon Henson

Foggie Nelson

Daredevil

Going right back to 1964's Daredevil #1, Foggy Nelson is Murdock's right hand man, his law partner and best friend. In the comics, he becomes one of the few people who know that Murdock is Daredevil. Expect him to be in the dark in the series, although he may well learn the truth over the course of the series. 

Deborah Ann Woll 

Karen Page

Daredevil

Also dating back to Daredevil #1, Karen Page is Matt and Foggy's legal secretary. A long-time love interest of Matt Murdock, expect there to be a love triangle between the three colleagues. An occasional sidekick to the Daredevil, Karen is another character who learns his identity. In the later, more uncompromisingly adult Daredevil storylines, things went very badly for Karen, who became addicted to heroin and began working in porn, eventually selling Murdock's identity to pay for a hit. Deborah Ann Woll's version appears in the trailer looking in a not particularly rosy state, so perhaps she's already fallen on ahrd times.

Rosario Dawson

Claire Temple

Daredevil

Rosario Dawson has plenty of experience with comicbook adaptations, having starred in both Sin City and the classic Josie and the Pussycats. Her turn in Daredevil will probably be more like the former than the latter. Claire Temple is a major recurring character in Marvel comics, being romantically involved with, at one time or another, Luke Cage and Bill Foster (one time Giant Man and also known as the Black Goliath). A doctor in training, it appears that the MCU version of Temple will be amalgamated with Night Nurse. In the comics, several characters have gone by the name Night Nurse, but the most significant is Linda Carter (not the one from Eastenders, nor the one who played Wonder Woman). She eventually becomes a sidekick to Dr. Strange. Expect her to make appearances throughout the Netflix stock of shows.

Bob Gunton

Leland Owlsley/The Owl

Daredevil

Better known as the Owl, Leland Owlsley (ah, comicbook names) is a crime boss with various birdlike abilities due to genetic alteration with a special serum, something that eventually leaves him in severely poor health. A major figure in the Marvel crime network, albeit not on the level of the Kingpin, it remains to be seen if the MCU version will share the original's preternatural abilities. Bob Gunton, of course, has been in everything, but is best know as the governor in The Shawshank Redemption.

Vondie Curtis Hall

Ben Urich

Daredevil

A tough, hardbitten investigative journalist, Urich is a recurring character who deduced Daredevil's identity and has a special relationship with Murdock. He also has a similar interaction with Peter Parker, who works with him on the Daily Bugle. Since both the Bugle and Spider-Man are out of bounds for the MCU, the focus will be squarely on his work with Daredevil. He was played by Joe Pantoliano in the 2003 movie, the casting of Vondie Hall displays a gratifying lack of colour-based casting for this version.

Scott Glen

Stick

Daredevil

Perhaps the most significant of Daredevil's allies, the mysterious sensei known only as Stick is a member of an ancient order known as the Chaste. Existing to battle the deadly ninja group called the Hand, the Chaste are responsible for training and recruiting some of the Marvel universe's most formidable warriors. Stick has abilities similar to Daredevil's, only even more refined, as well as mystical arts of telepathy and life-draining. Stick trained both Daredevil and the assassin Elektra, although the latter was kicked out of the Chaste for her vengeful ways. He also has links to Black Widow and Wolverine. He was played by the great Terence Stamp in the awful 2005 Elektra movie, while Scott Glen takes the role for the MCU series, in what is probably extended flashback sequences.

Kristen Ritter

Jessica Jones

AKA Jessica Jones; The Defenders

The second of Marvel's Netflix series is based on Brian Michael Bendis's acclaimed comic series Alias, although the name has been changed due to a certain popular TV series already using it. Like many of the characters above, she has links to Peter Parker, but is far better known for her friendship with Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) and relationship with Luke Cage. Jones was once a powerful super hero under the name Jewel, but after suffering a painful and humiliating defeat, she hung up her cape and became a private detective. Like with Alias, we can expect her time as a superhero to be explored in backstory in AKA.


Jones has become a major recurring character, and a popular one, in Marvel comics, having been involved in the Young Avengers and Mighty Avengers despite her decision not to use her powers, which include enhanced strength and flight. She has, on occasion, taken to the lycra again, either as Jewel, or under new names such as Power Woman and Knightress. She's faced the Owl, among others, but her long time enemy is the Purple Man (below). Jones eventually marries Cage and has his child, who they name Danielle, after their friend Daniel Rand - better known as Iron Fist. Oh, and she lived at Dr. Strange's place for a while. Links everywhere, so expect plenty of crossover between the series. Kristen Ritter is very much hot stuff since her role in Breaking Bad, and is generally considered an excellent choice for the role.

Rachael Taylor

Patricia Walker

AKA Jessica Jones

Tricia Walker is actually one of the oldest characters on the Marvel books. She first appeared way back in 1944, in Miss America Magazine published by Marvel's precursor, Timely Comics. Along with titles like Millie the Model, girlie strips like Patsy Walker and Patsy and her Pals ran right through Timely, Atlas and into Marvel in the 60s. In the 70s, she was brought back to become a superhero (with the earlier comics retconned as being comics withing the fiction of the Marvel universe). Taking on the costume of the Cat (aka Greer Grant, later Tigra), Walker became Hellcat, a hero who would see action with both the Avengers and the Defenders. 

The MCU version of the character is drawing on this backstory by making Tricia Walker a former child star and model under the name Patsy. She is a radio host and best friend to Jessica Jones. There's no news on her becoming a hero, but I'd be surprised if Marvel isn't looking ahead and potentially planning her becoming Hellcat in the future.

Mike Colter

Luke Cage

AKA Jessica Jones; Luke Cage; The Defenders

As mentioned above, Luke Cage - aka Power Man - is a romantic interest for Jessica Jones, and it seems that it is in this capacity that he will be introduced. However, Cage is a major superhero in his own right, and will be heading up his own series, the third or fourth of the Netflix clutch, before joining his fellow heroes in The Defenders. Originating in the 1972 title Luke Cage: Hero for Hire, Cage - birth name Carl Lucas - was falsely imprisoned, and volunteered for experimental treatment based on the supersoldier programme that created Captain America. The result gave him superhuman strength and impenetrable skin. The early comics were very 70s, designed to cash in on the Blaxploitation film genre, but this was eased off in time. Cage later co-starred with his best bud Danny Rand in Power Man and Iron Fist, so we can expect crossovers between the two series, although Rand has yet to be cast on time of writing. 

A screen version of Luke Cage has been a long time coming, with Colombia Pictures working on a film version for years (at one point Dwayne Johnson was the hot tip to star). Now it's reverted to Marvel we can expect Mike Colter to be a big player in future productions. After all, comics Cage is currently heading up the Avengers street level team, The Mighty Avengers. Oh, don't worry about his daughter. When he and Jessica Jones are both working, Squirrel Girl babysits.

David Tennant

Zebediah Kilgrave/Purple Man

AKA Jessica Jones

Now, this is casting that everyone's very excited about. Tennant is, of course, everyone's favourite, but be prepared to hate him with a passion. Zebediah Kilgrave is the villain who once defeated Jessica Jones, and he is properly evil. No, really, he's a mind-controlling rapist who gets off on making his victims commit cruel and humiliating acts. We don't know exactly what the details of their past is in AKA Jessica Jones, but the Alias comics visited some very dark territory. He's so monstrous that most other villains won't work with him. Having been chemically altered so that his pheromones allow him to control others' actions, he has brainwashed numerous women into sleeping with him and has a brood of illegitimate Purple Children. And yes, he is purple, although whether Tennant's version of the character will be remains to be seen. 

Carrie-Anne Moss
Harper
AKA Jessica Jones

No idea. Harper is apparently someone in authority who is a potential ally for Jessica Jones, but beyond that, we know nothing about her. She may be an established character under a new name, she may be entirely new. All we know is that big name Carrie-Anne Moss is playing her (well, she was a big name about ten years ago, anyway).

Luke Mitchell
Lincoln
Agents of SHIELD

We also don't know who Lincoln is, other than that he's a member of the Inhumans who is set to induct Skye - aka Daisy Johnson - into the world of these superpowered beings. Whether Lincoln is an established character going by another name, or someone entirely new, we don't know, so we also don't know what his powers are. The Inhumans, if you don't know, are a race of people with alien DNA that, when activated by a substance called Terrigen, endows them with a variety of amazing powers. We can expect a lot more Inhuman activity on Agents of SHIELD gearing up for 2018's Inhumans movie. This will basically allow Marvel to populate its movies and TV series with a variety of people with powers that don't require lots of explanations, without having to fall back on mutants (whose movie rights belong to Fox). 

I don't know who Luke Mitchell is either. Apparently he was in The Tomorrow People, but the only version I've watched is the nineties one.