The Marvel Cinematic Universe is incredibly well known for its spot-on castings, thanks to the very talented casting directorSarah Finn. Over a decade since its inception, it’s safe to say that the franchise’s batting average is very high. But every rose has its thorns, and the MCU is not exempt from that fact. While there aren’t many, the MCU does havea handful of poorly cast characters that wasted the exceptional talents of many actors.
Sometimes a wasted casting can be as simple as a person who’s not an instant fit with the role, an actor who doesn’t get the necessary material to shine, or even casting a big name for a nothing character. So, yes, while there are not many wasted castings in the MCU, the ones that can be considered as such definitely leave a sour taste in the mouths of audiences.
10Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen
‘Iron Man 3’ (2013)
Iron Man 3definitely gets more flak than it deserves for numerous reasons. But having a few rough casting choices is one of the few valid complaints about the film. Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) plays an old flame ofTony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who secretly happens to be working for the big bad.
The character isn’t written horribly; in fact, she’s quite serviceable, bringing a good misdirect to the plot. Instead, Hall doesn’t seem to be all that interested in said plot. Hall is a great actress butdoesn’t really give her all to theIron Man 3production, leaving her performance feeling a bit boring and uninspired. It’s not bad per se, just not very good either. Hall just doesn’t seem to care much about the character, which is valid, given thatshe revealedthat Maya was originally meant to have a lot more substance in the first iteration of the script, which she publicly agreed was a better part.
Iron Man 3
9Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash
‘Iron Man 2’ (2010)
Critics and audiences have had plenty to say aboutIron Man 2throughout the years. One of the many things that people comment on is the casting ofMickey Rourkeas Ivan Vanko, AKA Whiplash. It seems that critics and audiences had many issues with Rourke and his portrayal, which felt very bland and uninspired.
Rourke may very well be another case of an actor being upset with Marvel’s meddlingwith their roles and, therefore, not bringing their all out of spite.Rourke spent a good amount of time in Russia to develop his accent and build depth to add to his portrayal of the character, only to later discover that the big and layered role in the film had been extensively cut down. He was so upset with what was done to his role that he actually went on topublicly diss the studio, claiming that Marvel Studios simply wanted a one-dimensional character. Yikes!
Iron Man 2
8Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang/Stature
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ (2023)
Aside fromAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniabeingone of the rougher films in recent Marvel history, they gained a lot of attention for recasting Scott Lang’s (Paul Rudd) daughter for the third time, replacingEmma Fuhrmannwith the more recognizableKathryn Newton. There was nothing wrong with Fuhrmann’s portrayal inAvengers: Endgame, and one would assume her being cast would mean she would come back for future projects.
But as Newton made her debut inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, fans had a tough time getting behind Newton, not as much for her performance, but for the reasoning behind her casting in the first place. DirectorPeyton Reedwould go on to addressthe reasoning behind recasting Fuhrmann was thatNewton could better keep up with Rudd as an actor and had more physical abilities because of her golfing background. However, none of this reasoning is evident in the final movie;Newton tries her best, but her role is underdeveloped, the plot is frustrating, and her interactions with Rudd are undercut by the messiness surrounding them.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Watch on Disney+
7Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian
If there’s one thing aboutIron Man 3that most people hated, it’s the treatment of The Mandarin. At the end of the film, it would be revealed thatthe real Mandarin was Aldrich Killian(Guy Pearce), who had stolen the identity of the true Mandarin (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), who had yet to be revealed in the MCU.
Pearce typically brings great performances to the roles he occupies, but the role is truly awful, basic, and bland, a poor excuse for a villain. A white man taking the identity of a Chinese figure could’ve made for powerful commentary, butIron Man 3is ill-equipped to address it. Instead, it feels really weird and clumsily executed, as if the film was more interested in “subverting expectations” rather than actually using the opportunity to address a prevalent, pernicious practice. Worst of all, the role is a waste ofGuy Pearce, one of Hollywood’s most underutilized talents.
6Emilia Clarke as G’iah
‘Secret Invasion’ (2023)
Secret Invasionmay very well be one of Marvel’s greater sins in the last few years. The controversy behind the opening credits being made by A.I. was bad enough. However, its greatest sin was taking one of the most impactful and groundbreaking Avengers stories in the comics and making it into an uninspired Disney+ show that amounted to nothing.
What also amounted to nothing was the casting of four-time Emmy nomineeEmilia Clarkeas G’iah. When it was announced that Clarke had been cast inSecret Invasion, people lost their minds. Clarke, most well-known for her role inGame of Thrones, looked to be lined up as the next big player in the Marvel universe. Little did fans know at the time thatSecret Warswould waste her ona character that was bland, unentertaining and ultimately meant nothingin the grand scheme. Clarke has a plethora of talent, and to see such talent wasted is heartbreaking.
Secret Invasion
5Jude Law as Yon-Rogg
‘Captain Marvel’ (2019)
Unfortunately, for her first solo outing,Captain Marvelreceived pretty average reviews. Part of this was because the big twist regarding Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) and the Kree didn’t come as much of a surprise, making it feel pretty lackluster. Sadly, much of this disappointment comes from the writing and Law’s one-note performance.
For most of the film,Law takes a pretty hostile approach to the role, already adding a lot of suspicion to his character. So, when the twist that the Kree aren’t who they say they are comes around and that Yon-Rogg is the film’s antagonist, it’s not much of a shock. The so-called twist left the film feeling very stunted at its climax and, frankly, kind of uninteresting. It’s a shame that the MCU chose Law, one of the most charismatic actors in the business, for the role ofan insipid, uninteresting soldier. Law usually elevates the material, but there wasn’t much to elevate here.
Captain Marvel
4Christopher Eccleston as Malekith
‘Thor: The Dark World’ (2013)
Aside fromThor: The Dark World, commonly being known as the worst MCU film because of the writing and directing, there are many other reasons the film suffers, like the casting.Christopher Ecclestonis an unfortunate case ofa great actor just being wasted on a terrible role.
Through no fault of his own, Eccleston’s Malekith is amongthe worst villains in the 21st century. Thor is typically supposed to be strong, both narratively and physically; thus, Malekith falls flat with his forgettable motives and outright silly dialogue. Eccleston is a genuinely astounding actor andto have his talents wasted on such a worthless role is painfuland has fans begging for Eccleston to return to the MCU. IfGemma Chancan do it, why can’t Eccleston?
Thor: The Dark World
3Bill Skarsgård as Kro
‘Eternals’ (2021)
If one were to ask a majority of general audiences, they probably would have no idea thatBill Skarsgårdportrayed the villain ofEternals, Kro.Being a fully CGI character whose voice is modified,Skarsgård is another case of an arresting and talented actor wasted on a nothing rolethat could’ve truly had anyone cast.
Bill Skarsgård is an exceptional actorknown for his work in theITfranchise as well as his upcomingThe CrowandNosferatu.To have such talent wasted on a character like Kro, especially with an actor whose physical acting abilities are some of the best in the business, is incredibly unfortunate. Still, not all is lost. Skarsgård is unrecognizable as Kro, so if Marvel Studios wanted to bring him back for an actually substantial role, it’d be no issue.
2Hudson Thames as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
‘What If…?’ (2021)
Hudson Thamessuffers from the unfortunate poor direction. Due to Marvel Studios being unable togetTom Hollandto reprise his roleas the wall-crawler inWhat If…?, they needed to bring in an actor who could sound like the part. Thames got the gig and, honestly, got duped, as his imitation of Holland leaves a lot to be desired.
The issue is, when looking at his other performances,it’s incredibly clear thatThames actually has a great voice for Spider-Man but was forced to be a Holland copyand unable to show off what he could actually bring to the role. It’s a huge disservice to Thames and a mistake on Marvel’s part. If the directors had focused less on imitating Holland and more so on performance, Thames could have easily excelled as Spidey.
What If…?
1Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One
‘Doctor Strange’ (2016), ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019) & ‘What If…?’ (2021)
When it comes to wasted MCU castings, this is by far the most unfortunate. Worst of all is that it’s not evenTilda Swinton’s fault, but she tends to get flak for it. While Swinton gives a great performance and absolutely nails the elusive, mysterious role, the issue comes in the fact thatthe Ancient One is, in fact, Tibetan. This meansthe character was whitewashed, and in 2016, no less.
Many speculate that the character’s ethnicity was changed due to the many political implications of featuring such a character.Kevin Feigehimself has evengone on recordto admit that the casting was a mistake on Marvel Studios' part. It’s very good that the studio recognizes and acknowledges its mistake, but it doesn’t change the fact that Marvel wastedthe Oscar-winning Tilda Swinton, one of the most interesting and chameleonic actresses of her generation.
