Avengers 5: Casting Every Missing Character For Marvel’s Secret Wars

The fifth film in The Avengers series could be an adaptation of Marvel’s Secret Wars comic event, and while the MCU’s roster of heroes and villains is vast, it’s missing several key characters who’d need to be cast for the movie. Secret Wars was Marvel Comics’ first major crossover event, uniting characters from The Avengers, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and X-Men comics. While the MCU can use all of these properties, not all of the Secret Wars characters have been cast yet.

From May 1984 to April 1985, Secret Wars was a groundbreaking comic series for Marvel. In addition to being their most ambitious crossover, Secret Wars was Marvel’s first “event comic,” uniting nearly all of their properties in a massive storyline. With the MCU’s Phase 4 delving into the multiverse, their version of the event could include characters from other realities.

In the comic version of Secret Wars, a being known as The Beyonder captures numerous Marvel heroes and villains and takes them to a planet called Battleworld. For The Beyonder’s amusement, they’re divided into teams and forced to fight each other. While the MCU has most of the necessary Avengers members for Secret Wars, it’s missing most of the event’s villains, along with Fantastic Four and X-Men characters. Here is a possible cast for an MCU Secret Wars movie.

The Beyonder

The Beyonder based his appearance on Steve Rogers in the Secret Wars II comic, so one possible choice would be Chris Evans in a new MCU role. Assuming, however, that The Beyonder must be played by a new actor, Keanu Reeves would be an excellent choice. In addition to resembling The Beyonder in his comic and 90s animated appearances, Reeves has also voiced interest in joining the MCU.

Iron Man

Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. are one and the same in the eyes of most MCU viewers. Downey has defined the role since 2008, but perhaps a Tony Stark variant could take his place in Secret Wars. In this case, Timothy Olyphant could be a suitable alternate universe Iron Man. Olyphant was considered for the role at one point, alongside Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise, and he could put his spin on the character without replacing the irreplaceable Robert Downy Jr in Secret Wars.

Human Torch

As the youngest and (fittingly) most hot-headed member of the Fantastic Four, Johnny Storm, The Human Torch, should be played by KJ Apa. Given his age and lead role in Riverdale, Apa would be ideal for the youthful hero. It’s easy to imagine Apa’s Human Torch verbally sparring with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man before the two gradually become friends as they did in the comics.

Mister Fantastic

Although he won the hearts of viewers as the relentlessly likable Owen Sharma in The Haunting of Bly Manor, Rahul Kohli would be a perfect match for the notoriously aloof Mister Fantastic. Reed Richards sees himself as more of a scientist than a superhero, but he’s not without affection, especially for his teammates. Kohli would be able to perfectly blend these two sides of Richards.

The Thing

Having already appeared in two non-MCU Marvel films, Ben Foster would be the perfect choice for Ben Grimm, The Thing. Foster has more than proven his incredible range as an actor, and he’d be ideal for the complex and melancholic yet sentimental and sarcastic Ben Grimm. Moreover, Ben Grimm is one of Marvel’s few Jewish superheroes, and casting Foster would help the MCU better represent its source material’s Jewish characters.

Spider-Woman

Spider-Woman, a.k.a. Jessica Drew, could be played by Daisy Ridley. Having starred in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Ridley is no stranger to action hero roles. In addition to looking the part and having the acting chops, Ridley expressed interest in playing Drew in a February 2021 interview, and this wouldn’t be the first time the MCU cast an actor in a role they lobbied for.

Colossus

Having played Colossus in the first two Deadpool movies, Stefan Kapičić will, presumably, return to play Piotr Rasputin in the third installment. Since the Deadpool films will enter the MCU, Kapičić’s Colossus will become part of the shared universe along with them. This makes casting recasting Colossus unnecessary.

Cyclops

The leader of the X-Men is an extremely vital role, and an excellent choice for Scott Summers would be Chris Pine. Pine has had numerous lead and supporting roles in action and science fiction films, including Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It’s easy to imagine Pine leading the X-Men as the stoic Scott Summers.

Nightcrawler

For the swashbuckling X-Men member, Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), Ezra Miller would be an excellent choice for the role. With a superb acting range, Miller would be ideal for the complex characterization of Wagner. Miller has already played roles in the Harry Potter and DCEU franchises and would be a welcome addition to the MCU.

Professor X

For the wise and revered founder of the X-Men, numerous actors could play Charles Xavier. A particularly popular choice is Bryan Cranston, whose incredible talent would be well used with a character like Professor X. Cranston could excellently portray every facet of the venerable Charles Xavier.

Rogue

Lyndsy Fonseca would be a great choice for the X-Men member Rogue. Fonseca is no stranger to the action genre, given her lead role in Nikita. Fonseca has, however, already played a role in the MCU (Angie Martinelli), but the franchise has given its actors multiple roles before.

Storm

Although she played Angel Salvadore in the Fox X-Men franchise, Zoë Kravitz would be an excellent choice for Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. Storm. No stranger to superhero films, animated or live-action, Kravitz would be a fantastic choice for Munroe, who often takes the role of a mentor for new students in Xavier’s school.

Wolverine

Although the role of Wolverine will forever be tied to Hugh Jackman for most, Jackman has made it clear that he’s no longer playing Logan. If Jackman must be replaced Taron Egerton is a popular choice. Egerton has the acting prowess and is interested in the role, and it’s rumored that he’s already being considered for the role by Marvel Studios.

Lockheed the Dragon

An alien that resembles a miniature dragon, Lockheed would likely be a CGI character in an MCU X-Men or Secret Wars film, making his depiction a voice role. A crowd-pleasing choice for Lockheed the Dragon could be Mark Hamill. Hamill is as famous for his live-action roles as he is for his voice acting skills, so his talents would be well-used in the MCU.

Magneto

For the morally complex arch-nemesis of the X-Men, there is only one choice to play Magneto. Jason Isaacs is famous for his villainous roles, but his acting talents would be put to excellent use as Max Eisenhardt, a Holocaust survivor whose tragic origins make for a compelling and nuanced villain. Given the character’s age, Isaacs would need to be digitally aged, unless the MCU gives him the additional power of slowed aging.

Absorbing Man

“Crusher” Creel, the Absorbing Man, is an iconic Thor villain from the comics who already made his MCU debut in Agents of SHIELD. Played by Brian Patrick Wade, Creel seemingly died in the show’s fifth season, but he (or a multiverse variant of him) could return in Secret Wars. Wade would, presumably, reprise his role for the film.

Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom is one of the Marvel comics universe’s greatest villains, surpassed by none and equaled by only the likes of villains such as Norman Osborn. Naturally, his MCU actor would need to be chosen carefully. Doom wears an armored suit and mask, so he’d likely be depicted by a physical actor and a voice actor. Giancarlo Esposito, famous for his villainous roles, would be a phenomenal voice for the MCU’s Victor Von Doom.

The Molecule Man

Once a meek and shy technician, Owen Reece received extremely potent superpowers in a lab accident, allowing him to finally feel powerful. Matt Smith may be an excellent choice for Reece. Molecule Man is not always a supervillain, occasionally taking the role of an anti-hero, and Smith would do well in the unpredictable role.

Titania

The She-Hulk villain Titania, a.k.a. Mary MacPherran, burst onto the Marvel scene in the original Secret Wars series. The character is now also set to make her live-action debut in the MCU TV series She-Hulk, where she will be played by Jameela Jamil. Given this Titania would, presumably, be the same character in Secret Wars as she is in the upcoming Disney+ series, meaning Jamil would reprise her role.

Volcana

Created for the Secret Wars comics, Marsha Rosenberg initially worked for Doctor Doom, receiving the power to shapeshift into plasma or rock form. Rosenberg has, over time, become a more heroic character. Emmy Rossum, no stranger to action roles, would be an excellent choice for the MCU’s Volcana.

The Wrecking Crew

Thanks to Asgardian magic, this team of criminals became superpowered enemies of Thor. Though he already voices Groot in the MCU, Vin Diesel could play Wrecker. For his cohorts, Randy Couture could play Bulldozer, with Michael Jai White as Thunderball, and Dolph Lundgren as Piledriver.

Galactus

Similar to Lockheed, the cosmic, apocalyptic, world-devouring entity known as Galactus would likely be a CGI character who’d be depicted through voice acting. Famous for his voice roles, despite already playing a physical part in the MCU, Andy Serkis could be a menacing Galactus, adding another sinister villain to Secret Wars, the MCU’s fifth installment of The Avengers franchise.

About The Author

David Miller
(627 Articles Published)

David Miller is a staff writer for Screen Rant, indie comic writer, and life-long lover of all things Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. He was born and raised in New York and has a degree in English from Rider University. He relates to Peter Parker maybe a little too much.

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