Casting Nightmare In The MCU

Nightmare is one of the most diabolical supernatural characters in the Marvel Comics pantheon, and with rumors suggesting that he might appear in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, here are some performers who could embody the Lord of Darkness. Ruler of the Nightmare Realm within the Dream Dimension, the villain has manipulated the lives of countless heroes, including Spider-Man, The Hulk, and Ghost Rider. At one point he was even a member of the Fear Lords; a group of interdimensional demons, each with control and mastery over some aspect of fear. Time after time, however, his plans are foiled by the efforts of Stephen Strange, one of the few characters capable of traversing the multiverse at will.

The upcoming sequel may ultimately end up giving Stephen Strange a whole host of reasons to travel the Multiverse, between the implications of the Scarlet Witch prophecy as well as rumored dimensional shenanigans in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange has never been a stranger to multiverse-shattering events, helping undo Wanda Maximoff’s dimensional manipulation in House of M and also helping Doctor Doom rewrite reality in his image to save the multiverse in Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars. However, it’s Nightmare’s connection to the Realm of Madness (a realm adjacent to his within the Dream Dimension) that strengthens the idea of him being the primary antagonist. If the Lord of Dreams truly is in the movie, it would make perfect sense as to why veteran horror director Sam Raimi was so eager to take over the project.

Considering that Nightmare is more of a terrifying conceptual deity than he is a regular sorcerer, whoever plays the role needs to be someone capable of generating a sinister presence and terrifying authority. Luckily, there are more than enough capable actors with exactly those sensibilities.

Robert Englund

No stranger to the realm of dreams and the conjuring of nightmares, Robert Englund is one of the most versatile horror actors on the planet. While his main claim to fame is starring in Wes Craven’s 1984 horror masterpiece A Nightmare on Elm Street as well as its six initial sequels, Englund has starred in dozens of other movies in different genres as well (he’s even got an appearance coming in Stranger Things). His performance as Freddy Krueger lies in the darkest corners of pop culture recognition, known for the gleeful and sadistic ways in which he plays with his victims before killing them within their dreams; a maniacal quality that Nightmare has also been known to indulge in from time to time. While Nightmare’s machinations have ranged from that of a playful trickster to downright malicious, Englund is certainly an actor with that kind of range, on display in his transformation of Freddy Krueger from pure nightmare fuel to a giddy cinematic icon.

Keith David

With one of the most recognizable voices in all of Hollywood, no other actor is capable of sending a chill up someone’s spine the way that Keith David is. Not only is his voice acting resume incredibly versatile (with roles such as the Arbiter in Halo as well as Spawn going to his credit), but he also has incredible tact and presence on-screen, as seen in his live-action movies such as The Thing and The Chronicles of Riddick. Standing at 6’2, Keith is still an intimidating figure, and coupled with his powerful and commanding voice, it would be easy to see why any of the denizens of the Nightmare Realm would be terrified of a ruler as authoritative and imposing as him.

Eva Green

An actress who fans have been begging to show up in the MCU for a while now, Eva Green would be a unique but inspired choice for the role of Nightmare in the Doctor Strange sequel. One of the most in-demand performers in Hollywood, and Eva Green’s choice of roles is an easy explanation as to why: from Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale to Artemisia in 300: Rise of an Empire, she has no qualms with playing female characters with sinister and shrouded motivations. While Nightmare has traditionally been illustrated and personified as a man, in truth, he’s less of a human-like entity and more of an abstract concept given life. With that in mind, Green is such a capable actor that she could play Nightmare as a man (something veteran MCU actor Tilda Swinton has done throughout her career), or very easily as a non-binary androgynous figure instead.

Daniel Radcliffe

As entertaining as it would be to see a powerful wizard such as Doctor Strange take on the actor who embodied The Boy Who Lived, Daniel Radcliffe’s acting skills make him a worthy choice far beyond his role as Harry Potter. Since the release of the final film in the Harry Potter franchise, Radcliffe has taken on a wide variety of high-octane, eyebrow-raising roles, including the absurd and heartfelt Swiss Army Man along with the upcoming Guns Akimbo. He’s never totally turned his back on the idea of returning to blockbusters though, granted that the script is high enough quality and warrants his skills as a performer. His particular brand of wide-eyed manic insanity would be perfect for a version of Nightmare obsessed with tormenting humans through his control over their dreams.

Javier Bardem

A prestige actor with some of the greatest performances of the last 20 years under his belt, Javier Bardem showing up in any superhero movie would be something of a miracle. However, his ice-cold stare and soul-stirring voice would make him an absolutely terrifying choice for the role of the MCU’s Nightmare, someone whose true horror isn’t easy to perceive. While choosing to use a corporeal form, the comics treat Nightmare much like an Eldritch entity hiding under the guise of a trickster-type personality, and Javier Bardem is the perfect actor to embody someone hiding that kind of pure abject terror underneath. He’s also no stranger to playing psychopaths and monsters, with his turn as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men still serving as a blueprint for how to write a compelling and horrifying contemporary antagonist. With a hero as powerful as the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness will certainly have to find a compelling actor to bring to life the Lord of Darkness.

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