A vocal section of Marvel fans want Cillian Murphy to play Doctor Doom in the MCU’s upcoming Fantastic Four reboot.
Twitter user @MrNiceGuy513 started the discussion, which has grown into a debate of epic proportions. While many users would love to see the Irish actor suit up as the Fantastic Four’s greatest nemesis, others aren’t so sure.
Murphy “doesn’t have the ‘weight’ [or] the ‘gravitas'” for the role, wrote @HoodOfRed1, who clarified that, in lacking those qualities, the actor made a great Scarecrow in the Dark Knight trilogy. “He has that more wirey [sic] ghoulish vibe.”
User @BULLSEYESOLOS added that “[victor] von doom is romani and should be played by a romani actor,” while @HSpencer2000 countered with “Hes [sic] more known for Eastern European fictional country Latveria than being Romani.”
As you can see, not everyone is sold on the idea of Murphy donning the metallic facemask of Victor von Doom, but he’s definitely the sort of actor Marvel Studios likes. The 45 year-old is roughly the same age as many past, present, and future MCU antagonists, he’s a recognizable star without being a genuine A-lister, and he’s just as comfortable in intense dramas as he is in effects-heavy blockbusters.
There are plenty of other viable candidates out there, though, and with Fantastic Four hitting a minor bump in the road following the departure of Jon Watts, it could be a while before we find out who plays the big bad, if the reboot is even heading down the route marked Doom.