MCU Star Gets Second Chance, Could Play Doctor Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot - Inside the Magic

MCU Star Gets Second Chance, Could Play Doctor Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot - Inside the Magic,Now that the main cast of Marvel Studios' 'Fantastic Four' reboot has been announced, Ben Mendelsohn is throwing his hat into the ring.

MCU Star Gets Second Chance, Could Play Doctor Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot – Inside the Magic

Marvel Studios is no stranger to recasting actors for different roles within the same franchise. And one star from the ill-fated Disney+ Secret Invasion show is making sure to capitalize on this, putting in his bid to star in the upcoming Fantastic Four (2025) reboot.

fantastic four mcu — Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: “Worst” Marvel Film Sends Traumatized Star to Therapy After Backlash

The phenomenon of Marvel pulling from the same pool of talent for each of its projects is hardly new, with several A-listers having completed the “Disney Trifecta” (AKA, starring in each major Disney-owned IP: Star Wars, Disney or Pixar Animation, and the MCU), including Ming-Na Wen, Jon Favreau, and Taika Waititi.

But within the exclusive club of “Disney Trifecta” achievers are certain actors who have played different roles in the same property, like Andy Serkis, who played Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, and Kino Loy in the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) spinoff, Andor.

Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) in Lucasfilm's ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. — Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Report: Doctor Doom Cut From Marvel’s Highly-Anticipated ‘Fantastic Four’

Now, Emmy Award-nominated actor Ben Mendelsohn is throwing his hat into the ring for a leading role in Marvel”s upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, despite having just completed his run as Skrull General Talos in the Disney+ Secret Invasion miniseries last year.

Secret Invasion was, to put it lightly, not exactly a fan-favorite when it debuted on Disney”s streamer in 2023, rounding out an otherwise unremarkable start to the MCU”s Phase Five. Despite boasting an all-star cast from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, and Don Cheadle, the show entirely missed the mark with its jumbled story, forgettable hero arcs, and CGI-laden action sequences.

Nick Fury shocked in Marvel's 'Secret Invasion' — Credit: Marvel Studios

Still, the blame surrounding Secret Invasion wasn”t necessarily placed on the actors” shoulders, per se, but Mendelsohn is still gunning for his shot at redemption in the MCU. Speaking with GQ, the actor revealed that he would “give [his] eyes and teeth” to return to Marvel, this time to play the archenemy of the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom:

I would almost give my eyes and teeth to play Doctor Doom. I think Doctor Doom is the great unread Marvel character that could and should be done. But it is what it is. I got to work with Spielberg, and I got to work with Terrence Malick, and I got to work with Ridley Scott. It’s been incredible. I didn’t think this ship was coming.

Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) in 'Secret Invasion' — Credit: Marvel Studios

Now that Marvel”s First Family officially has its cast, with Pedro Pascal playing Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby playing Sue Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach playing Ben Grimm, and Joseph Quinn playing Johnny Storm, fans have begun to theorize which villain the team will go up against in Fantastic Four. Doctor Doom is the obvious choice, of course, but there”s also the possibility that Galactus could be introduced to the MCU instead.

If you sat through Secret Invasion, then you likely remember that Captain Marvel (2019) initially hinted at the possibility of a Super Skrull being the main antagonist of Fantastic Four, but Secret Invasion ruled out that possibility with Gravik”s (perhaps unnecessary) death and G”iah”s heroic ending. But there”s always a chance that a Super Skrull of sorts could pop up somewhere in the Multiverse Saga.

secret-invasion-super-skrull-gravik — Credit: Marvel Studios

Per Variety”s latest coverage of the Fantastic Four news, Victor von Doom has “yet to be cast,” meaning the door is certainly open for Mendelsohn to step into the iconic role. In the past, Julian McMahon played Doctor Doom in all three of Fox”s live-action movies, while Julian McMahon took over in the 2015 reboot. It seems unlikely that either of these actors would reprise their role, but once again, it”s always in the cards, as little remains known about Fantastic Four.

Ultimately, given his MCU death in Secret Invasion, Mendelsohn doesn”t seem too confident about his odds of playing Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four. His remark, “It is what it is,” seems to imply that Marvel has either found an actor to play the iconic supervillain already or that he simply has accepted that his time in the superhero franchise is over. Oppenheimer (2023) star Cillian Murphy is allegedly Marvel”s top choice for the character, but again, nothing is confirmed.

Soren and Talos in 2019's 'Captain Marvel' — Credit: Marvel Studios

If the rumors that Doctor Doom will replace Jonathan Majors” Kang the Conqueror as the overarching villain of the Multiverse Saga are true, then whoever Marvel chooses for the part will have to commit to, potentially, years of storytelling, as Avengers: Secret Wars isn”t slated to premiere until 2027.

Ben Mendelsohn certainly seems up to the task, and given that Doctor Doom is always depicted wearing a mask, it wouldn”t be too jarring to see him reemerge in the MCU as a different character.

In any case, it”ll be interesting to see who Marvel chooses to play Doctor Doom when Fantastic Four arrives in theaters on July 25, 2025.

Who do you think should take on the role of Doctor Doom in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot? Chime off in the comments below!