Donald Glover has already made an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Prowler (sans power suit, but nevertheless). But that doesn’t mean he can’t appear again in the future, as other actors and actresses such as Gemma Chang have already done as well as Alfre Woodard who portrayed both the woman who caused Tony Stark to be pro-registration in Civil War and as Mariah in Luke Cage.
There’s so many other roles that Donald Glover would actually be perfect for. However, there’s a number of others that just wouldn’t suit his personality or his acting style. Here’s 5 characters he should and shouldn’t take on in the MCU.
SHOULDN’T: DOCTOR DOOM
Doctor Doom is one of the most charismatic villains in all of Marvel. Donald Glover could certainly achieve that. However, Doom is also just a bit too villainous for Glover to take on; he’s not the kind of actor who can be so sinister.
Also, part of the appeal of Donald’s performances are his facial expressions. Hiding the actor behind a mask for most of the film certainly wouldn’t do the production any favours. Plus, Doom needs to be a bit older to truly work.
SHOULD: MILES MORALES
Donald Glover has always expressed interest at playing Miles Morales. Although he played his uncle previously, we think he’d be absolutely perfect as the new Spider-Man. There may be a problem with that however.
Many, including Glover, believe that he may now be too old for the role. However, there is a way around this; by having the origin of the character changed so he only discovers his abilities years later, just at the fall of the first Spider-Man.
SHOULDN’T: NORMAN OSBORN
Norman Osborn is going to be a huge part of the next few years of the MCU. It needs to be an older gentleman taking on the role, someone manipulative enough to be the mayor, but bonkers enough to be the villainous Green Goblin.
We’re not sure Glover quite fits the bill and suffers from similar problems as he would have done as Doctor Doom. However, we can’t say we wouldn’t be interested in his version of Green Goblin; perhaps Hobgoblin would be more appropriate. As Norman though, we just can’t see it.
SHOULD: NOVA
Nova is young reckless and still learning how to be a hero. We actually think that although Glover is a little older once again, he could play a version of Nova who was learning how to utilize his cosmic powers for the first time.
He has the humor for the character and the quick timing, but could also carry the more emotional scenes that would be required of him as a lead. It would be certainly a complete swerve in terms of casting, as fans may expect Nova to be around 20 and played more immature.
SHOULDN’T: WOLVERINE
Wolverine needs to be feral and completely off the rails. It needs an actor that bring some animalistic qualities to the role and actually feel like he could kill you at any moment. We can’t really see Glover taking on this kind of role.
Donald Glover is quite stylish and clean cut. His look doesn’t lend itself to Wolverine and although we know he’s a versatile actor, someone who works so well in the comedy genre might not be as well suited to a character as serious as Logan.
SHOULD: PATRIOT
Patriot is a key member of the Young Avengers and a spin-off of Captain America. Donald Glover has all the right qualities to be an inspirational leader like Patriot and we can see him leading an older version of the Young Avengers that have gone on ignored.
This could create some interesting narrative options, with Glover playing a bitter version of the character that was once inspirational and must find once again what it is to be a hero. Give this man a Disney Plus series!
SHOULDN’T: ORIGINAL HUMAN TORCH
We’ve briefly seen a version of the original Human Torch in the MCU in a scene that looks like it’s taken directly from the comics. Although the look has therefore already be defined, the role could absolutely still be recast.
However, the character is an android which might cause problems. The Human Torch is often portrayed as quite personality-less. Since Glover has such a huge personality, we’re not sure his style would work for essentially a sociopathic character.
SHOULD: CYCLOPS
A key member of the X-Men should be portrayed properly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Donald Glover might just be the man for the job. He’s clean-cut enough to take on this role but can also play the reckless leader and the boy scout.
He has the perfect combination of skills for this role and it would be interesting to see how he works around the use of his visor. We’ve spoken about Glover’s facial performances and perhaps removing the eyes from the equation would be a compelling challenge.
SHOULDN’T: REED RICHARDS
Reed Richards needs to be a socially inept rich guy that understands the error of his ways. In the comics he’s often portrayed as one of those heroes who hurts the universe as much as he helps it and other characters in the MCU have worked in the past through this style.
Donald Glover doesn’t really fit the bill. He also doesn’t have quite the right build. Mr. Fantastic should be tall and skinny to make the stretching effects look more natural. Glover might look a bit odd stretched out of proportions.
SHOULD: NAMOR
FOX has now granted the rights of Namor back to Marvel after the Disney merger. The Sub-Mariner can therefore finally be used in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s already been rumors of his arrival be we could finally see it soon.
The character should be cast in a way that allows for a nasty streak but also incorporates some of the charm that Namor has. Glover might be able to play this role completely differently than we may expect, but we could see him excelling in it.