Giancarlo Esposito's MCU Role Is 'Better Than You Can Imagine'
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had some truly high-caliber actors grace its films and TV series over the years, and it looks like one more exceptional actor will join the ranks. Giancarlo Esposito, who played Gus Fring on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" to immense acclaim, told a crowd at Brazilian fan convention CCXP (via Collider) that he's joined the MCU but wouldn't state who he's playing. Let the fan theories commence!
For a while, Esposito fought to play Professor X in the MCU, a role previously portrayed by Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy in the 20th Century Fox "X-Men" films. The actor said at the panel that he wouldn't be playing Charles Xavier, but it would be "better than you can imagine." Another interesting tidbit came when Esposito told the crowd how they'd see this role "sooner rather than later."
There are plenty of roles that Esposito could play. Gamblers believe Esposito could be a shoo-in to play Marvel villain Doctor Doom, especially with a "Fantastic Four" movie slated to come out in 2025. However, his "sooner rather than later" comment might suggest that his character could appear in something prior to "Fantastic Four," but whatever it ends up being, Esposito's going to be amazing.
Is Giancarlo Esposito playing Doctor Doom ... or Kang?
"Fantastic Four" is still over a year away, and Giancarlo Esposito hinted that he's possibly coming to the MCU sooner than that. The next MCU film on the calendar is "Deadpool and Wolverine," which comes out on July 26. Many outrageous cameos are rumored for "Deadpool 3," and Esposito making his grand entrance as a fan-favorite character like Doom would definitely get fans talking. Or perhaps he'll play another Marvel nemesis — such as Kang the Conqueror.
With Marvel Studios dropping Jonathan Majors as Kang, it's possible that the company will simply want to recast the role to keep things barreling smoothly toward "Avengers: Secret Wars." "Deadpool and Wolverine" would be a good place to bring back the multiversal threat, only with Esposito taking over the villainous duties. But that's not the only fan-casting taking place, as @austin_medz posted on X (formerly known as Twitter): "What if [Esposito] is voicing Norman [Osborn] in 'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' and then plays him in Spider-Man 4?"
Many of the fan-casts are for antagonistic roles, since Esposito has proven himself adept at villains after "Breaking Bad," "The Boys," and "The Mandalorian." However, it would be a nice change of pace to see him as someone more heroic, which is why the prospect of him playing Professor X was so enticing. Wherever Esposito shows up, audiences will likely lose their minds when he finally arrives on-screen.