Marvel Studios
Ben Mendelson is extremely serious about wanting to be the MCU’s Doctor Doom
Hot on the heels of the cast reveal for The Fantastic Four, Ben Mendelsohn has gone on record to share just how much he wants to play Doctor Doom in the MCU.
What a day to be a Marvel fan. On the morning of February 14, 2024, Marvel Studios celebrated Valentine’s day with a huge revelation: the main cast of The Fantastic Four, and a release date for next year. But what about the movie’s villain? Well, there’s someone who want’s to come back to the MCU for exactly that.
“I would almost give my eyes and teeth to play Doctor Doom,” said Ben Mendelsohn in an interview with GQ. “I think Doctor Doom is the great unread Marvel character that could and should be done. But it is what it is.” Few times have Hollywood actors been so direct about their desire to play a character, which makes it all the more exciting to think that Mendelsohn himself would be fighting to get the role.
The actor has already been part of the MCU for a few years, playing Talos, a skrull hidden on Earth that has been a long-time ally to Nick Fury and SHIELD for many years. He’s been an important player in the cinematic universe on Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the Secret Invasion series on Disney+ where he was one of the biggest highlights of the production.
But as a villain, this wouldn’t be his first time in such a role: Mendelsohn played Orson Krennic, the big bad in charge of the construction of the Death Star in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, where he shined alongside the menacing Darth Vader. In that role he quickly became one of the franchise’s best baddies, with its own kind of intimidating, larger-than-life personality. He might not have the imposing stature or physicality of Doctor Doom in the comics, but he wouldn’t be lacking in personality and presence on the screen if he wore the iron mask and green cowl.
The Fantastic Four is coming, and they need a villain
As mentioned above, Marvel has just announced who will be the actors behind the MCU’s First Family. Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, The Last of Us) will play Reed Richards, while Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, The Crown) will play Sue Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear, No Hard Feelings) will play Ben Grimm and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) will play Johnny Storm.
The Fantastic Four is set to release on July 25, 2025, pushing The Thunderbolts to release earlier in the same year and shifting the MCU’s release schedule once again.