Rumours that Henry Cavill might join the Marvel Cinematic Universe have persisted for several years. However, it was last night that we learned the former Superman is supposedly being lined up to play a Wolverine Variant in this summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
We’re not buying it, but after he was fired by DC Studios and James Gunn following a brief return as the Man of Steel in Black Adam, Cavill deserves another shot at playing a superhero…or a supervillain, for that matter.
Beyond playing Superman, Cavill has proven himself an actor capable of playing all manner of characters on screen. From the stoney-faced Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher to his formidable big bad in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, we know he can bring a lot to the MCU in the Multiverse Saga and beyond.
You can check out our suggestions for Cavill’s possible MCU role by clicking the “Next”/”View List” buttons below.
5. Beta Ray Bill
Created by Walt Simonson, Beta Ray Bill is a Korbinite and a member of an alien race whose planet was destroyed by Surtur. Chosen by his people to wield the powerful Stormbreaker, he later proves himself worthy to lift Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, becoming one of the Thunder God’s most powerful allies.
This would likely be a CG role for Cavill, but one the actor can have fun with.
Marvel Studios would be wise to showcase his impressive physique, having him don prosthetics or simply a VFX-created head to play the hammer-wielding hero. We’d also love to see Cavill’s back-and-forth with Chris Hemsworth and, with a new director in place of Taika Waititi, the result could be spectacular.
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For now, it appears Silver Surfer won’t join Galactus in The Fantastic Four reboot. Instead, the Devourer of Worlds will be joined by another Herald, with the door left open for Norrin Radd to make an appearance somewhere down the line.
In the comics, Radd hailed from the planet Zenn-La. To save his world from the planet-consuming baddie, Radd offered to become Galactus’ herald, travelling the cosmos to find new worlds for his master to consume in exchange for sparing his home.
It’s an emotional, powerful journey and one we think Cavill could do justice on screen; he’s also more than physically imposing enough to play the Defender.
So, the rumour mill may have churned out some pretty wild claims about Cavill playing Wolverine, but there’s another member of the X-Men we think he’d be a better fit for. Yes, we’re talking about the one and only Dr. Henry “Hank” McCoy!
This obviously won’t work if Marvel Studios decides to introduce the mutant team as teens, but if they’re already established as heroes after Avengers: Secret Wars, then we think he’d be a perfect fit for the tough-as-nails, highly intelligent superhero.
It’s easy to forget that Beast is a powerhouse, and we’d love to see Cavill pull doubt duty to play Dark Beast as well.
Doctor Doom is rumoured to make his MCU debut in The Fantastic Four‘s post-credits scene, presumably meaning the actor cast as the villain will only need to lend their voice to the character (for the time being, at least).
We’ll eventually get to see what lies beneath the mask, of course, and Cavill going toe-to-toe with Pedro Pascal’s Mister Fantastic is an undeniably exciting prospect.
Whether it’s exploring Doom’s proficiency with science and magic, his cruel demeanour as Latveria’s dictator, or even an eventual attempt to be a superhero as the Infamous Iron Man, this role will give Cavill far more to sink his teeth into than Superman ever did. There’s only one character we’d like to see him play more…
We know this is predictable, but dammit, we don’t care! Cavill would be a perfect Brian Braddock/Captain Britain, helping to ensure this superhero feels believable and every bit as crucial to the MCU as Chris Evans was as Captain America.
After all, he’s a very different type of hero and Marvel Studios can choose to explore his ties with the British Government, his status as a protector of the Multiversal Captain Britain Corps, or as the leader of the heroic Excalibur. Heck, why not all of the above?
It’s hard to think of anyone better than Cavill to bring Captain Britain to life on screen and this casting is arguably long overdue. We’d love to see the former Superman kick ass in this role and, with any luck, headline his own franchise.
Who do you think Henry Cavill could play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
