William Jackson Harper, already in the throes of a hot career with defining roles in The Good Place and The Resort, saw his stature in Hollywood rise once again when he appeared in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania as Quaz, a Quantum Realm rebel with the ability to read minds.
It was bittersweet for some fans, as many petitioned for him to become Reed Richards, the leader of The Fantastic Four, an in-planning upcoming movie in the MCU. However, Harper says he’s just glad to be here, and that there’s a different superhero role he would be interested in playing outside of the universe, per Cassius Life.
“Well, look, no one at Marvel ever talked to me about being Reed Richards. So for me, I’m like, ‘They called me.’ I’m a big fan of these movies, so any opportunity to be a part of it, I’m down to do. ‘Look, you can’t rely on fan-castings to really carry weight when it comes to the decisions of these organizations like this. You just can’t.’”
Regardless, Harper said he’s a big Marvel fan and was always interested in how Marvel made its movies, so it was a no brainer to jump on board.
“And obviously, Marvel is not consulting me about what anyone’s saying, and not internally or the fans. No one is talking to me about any of that. So when they do decide to talk to me, and they do invite me to come and play, the answer is yes. So that’s just how it goes.”
As for this non MCU superhero?
“Oh man, I’m always curious about comic book stuff. When I was younger, I read this ShadowHawk comic back in the day. I remember reading a few issues of that and thinking, ‘This is dark,’ and being really into that,” he said. ShadowHawk is a lesser known ati hero who was “wrongfully injected with the HIV virus,” and “swore to dedicate his life to fighting vigilantes who harmed innocent victims.”
He also looks really cool.
Harper elaborated a little more on what he felt was important when choosing a role, especially when it comes to superheroes.
“… I’m invested in the idea of playing a character. It’s a slog to make it, but it looks cool later. I think that’s probably more satisfying for directors and writers. But I think as an actor, you kind of want to really enjoy scene work that you’re getting to do. So I’m always looking for that. So it doesn’t have to be in a franchise. It doesn’t have to be in a tent-pole thing. It’s just really what’s the part, how fun is it going to be to play.”
He also said he was open to coming back as Quaz. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters now.