Die-hard fans coming up with dream casting for films is almost as old as sliced bread. It happens almost every time a new comic book film or TV show is announced. Most fans have a distinct view in their minds about who should play Iron Man - guaranteed it wasn’t Robert Downey Jr ten years ago. It probably wasn’t Tom Cruise either, he was lobbying hard for the part before he started jumping on couches.
The OG magazine for fans, Wizard used to have a “Casting Call” article, where they would cast all kinds of comic book-based films. Way ahead of its time, they weren’t just predicting who should play what role, the mag was predicting a world in which fans are given an influx of superhero movies and TV shows, seemingly every month. While it wasn’t much of a stretch, the correctly guessed Patrick Stewart would be Professor X, while completely missing the boat on Logan (punk and meme lord, Glenn Danzig!).
As more and more of our favorite heroes are realized on TV and in Film, more and more casting calls can happen. Even if the property has never been realized in live action, there are plenty of fans photoshopping their favorite actors and actresses into the costumes of their favorite superheroes and superheroines. With plenty of new properties coming out in 2019, maybe some of your favorite fan castings will be better than what the studios came up with.
Here are 20 Superhero Fan Castings Better Than What We Are Getting In 2019.
20. Rami Malek – Kraven The Hunter
Full disclosure- Sergei Kravenoff, aka Kraven The Hunter will not be showing up in Spider-Man Homecoming. But for those of us who have read some of the darker stories in Spider-Man know full well how dangerous the big game hunter could be. With his cousin being Chameleon and his girlfriend being Calypso, there’s room for a whole little Kraven trilogy.
The character had looked a lot like Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury. Naturally, that makes Rami Malek the perfect candidate should Sony or Marvel decide to go ahead with an outside the box villain for Spidey to face.
19. Donald Glover – Spider-Man
Speaking of everyone’s favorite wall-crawler, thanks to Disney and Sony coming to a deal to being ol’ webhead home, Tom Holland has been playing the role with just the right amount of childlike wonder that a teen in Peter Parker’s position would have. Underneath the mask, Spidey could be anyone, as Stan Lee used to say.
Enter Miles Morales, an African American-Latin teenager who took on the mantle of Spidey after Peter had died in Ultimate Fallout. He was created, inspired by Donald Glover. The fans want to see Glover play the role. Holland’s Spidey disappeared due to the Thanos snap – perhaps it’s time to make fans’ dreams come true. This piece was done by BossLogic.
18. Ronda Rousey – Captain Marvel
UFC and WWE both proclaim Ronda Rousey to be “The Baddest Woman On The Planet.” The dual-sport, crossover superstar not only made MMA coldly popular several years ago as its spokesperson. Now she’s one of the top stars in WWE and making believers out of all of her critics.
There might have been a world though where she’d also get to be “The Baddest Woman In The Galaxy.” As Marvel gears up to release Captain Marvel, check out some fan art of Rousey as the Captain.
17. Jon Hamm – Batman
With the DCEU seemingly in a constant state of flux, fans who have been hoping their favorite DC heroes get realized should look towards TV and the Arrowverse shows. They’ve pretty dominated the CW almost every night of the week for years now. DC has branched out with its streaming service.
On its debut show, Titans, we’re introduced to a much darker version of the team (“explicative deleted Batman”). In the season finale, we finally get a glimpse of the Dark Knight. However, we didn’t get to see his face. That leaves the door wide open for Mad Man alum, John Hamm to bring the smarmy charm he used for Don Draper to the role of Bruce Wayne.
16. Ralph Fiennes – Charles Xavier
No matter who fills the role of Professor Charles Xavier will always have to fill the shoes of master thespian, Patrick Stewart. The guy WAS Xavier! With the deal between Fox and Disney being basically a done deal, look for the Mighty Marvel Mouse House to recast every member of the Merry Marvel Mutant Society.
If the MCU is going to go with the more militaristic version of the X-Men that the books have depicted for several years now, then they need to get Ralph Fiennes. He’s rugged enough and a great enough actor to hold his own with Downey and Chris Evans, and the rest of the already established MCU stars.
15. willem dafoe – Joker
With his acting style being fairly subdued, Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker does seem like an odd choice. Not necessarily a bad one, just an odd one. To be fair, Heath Ledger was an extremely left-field choice, and his portrayal of the Clown Prince Of Crime got him an Oscar
But what a psychotically twisted performance Willem Dafoe would have given! Plenty of fans have noticed the guy already has the massive Joker grin, and the bombastic acting style to pull off a truly evil clown not seen in a long time.
14. Millie Bobby Brown – Wolfsbane
In theory, this is the last year Fox will be releasing mutant movies - Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants. The latter of which will focus on an entirely new squad of mutants waiting to be introduced. Cannonball, Magik, Sunspot, Mirage, and Wolfsbane.
Thanks to the Fox and Disney deal, it remains to be seen what will become of The New Mutants franchise. Maisie Williams has been tapped to play Wolfsbane. Her acting chops on Game Of Thrones definitely show she’s game enough to play the feral mutant. But perhaps the it-girl of the moment, Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown would have been a better choice.
13. Cillian Murphy – Mysterio
One of the most anticipated superhero movies of the year not named Avengers: Endgame is the second MCU Spider-Man adventure, Spider-Man: Far From Home. Most details of the story are still under wraps. What has been revealed is that the film will feature our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man far from the neighborhood on summer vacation in Europe.
Spidey will be facing down failed magician-turned-criminal, Quentin Beck aka Mysterio. He’s being played by Jake Gyllenhaal. But Cillian Murphy has already shown comic book fans he can be funny and menacing all at the same time as Scarecrow, and he would make a perfect Mysterio.
12. Armie Hammer – Cyclops
Let’s face it, X-screenwriters have not been very interested in the X-Men field commander Cyclops at all. That’s not a knock on James Marsden or Tye Sheridan, the two actors that have played him. That should all change when Marvel takes over. Hopefully, they’d want a fresh take.
There’s not much of a fresher take than bringing the team’s leader with questionable motives to the forefront. Armie Hammer can fill that role. The Social Network and Lone Ranger star is no stranger to playing smarmy and steely with a touch of heart and inspiration that embodies Scott Summers. This piece of work was done by Roberto Souza.
11. Kurt Russell – Mr. Nobody
Titans is already building upon its universe and the Arrowverse at large. During the first season, the team met several members of the obscure team, the Doom Patrol. And now they’re getting their own show on the DC Universe app.
The villain that they’ll do battle with is Mr. Nobody, played by a not so menacing Alan Tudyk. While that is inspired casting, Nobody can drain you of your sanity. Wouldn’t a more menacing presence like Kurt Russell be a more prominent choice?
10. Gaten Matarazzo – Billy Batson
Captain Marvel isn’t the only Captain Marvel film being released this year. The DCEU’s version of Captain Marvel is Shazam thanks to whatever agreement the two companies signed decades ago. In the story, young Billy Batson meets a wizard who gives him the power to turn into a godlike figure, Shazam.
With that kind of ability, you’d need an actor with childlike wonder. Jack Grazer, who played Eddie Kaspbrak in the new It movies will be playing Billy. Another kid who could have pulled Billy Batson off, is Dustin himself, Stranger Things’ Gaten Matarazzo.
9. Patrick Warburton – Shazam
Zachary Levi has the comedic charm to pull off a lot of different roles. He also packed on the pounds and the muscle in order to be ready for his DCEU debut as Shazam. Based on the trailers and posters, Shazam is going to be a little goofier than your average dark and grim DCEU film.
It seems tailor-made for Patrick Warburton. The hulking comedic actor has been playing this kind of roles for years now. First as the Tick in the eponymous live action TV series. But most famously as the voice of Brock Samson on The Venture Bros.
8. Ray Fisher – Cyborg
As Doom Patrol is about to get going, their entire mission is going be hinging on and driven by what Victor Stone, the Cyborg is going to tell them. The DCEU has been kept separate from the Arrowverse, but with the popularity of Cyborg, it might’ve been cool to connect the two worlds.
Jovian Wade will be playing Victor on Doom Patrol. Especially with his own film coming in 2020, Ray Fisher could have made a cameo or two, creating some connective tissue with all of the mega-popular shows and movies.
7. Holly Hunter – Elasti-Woman
Over the course of 10 years, April Bowlby played delightful airhead, Kandi on Two And A Half Men. That was her most famous role, up until now. She guest-starred on Titans and will be starting on Doom Patrol as Rita Farr, aka Elasti-Woman.
Somehow casting directors missed that Farr is close to Parr and Holly Hunter has played Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl in The Incredibles. It would’ve been an inspired piece of casting to have Hunter play another stretchy meta in what would be the most meta role ever.
