If the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues putting out new film and television content at its current rate, then the franchise is going to run out of major stars to recruit sooner rather than later.
However, there are still plenty of big names out there yet to be baptized in the fires of the biggest brand in the business, but that wouldn’t be the case if Cillian Murphy had signed on for one of the countless roles he’s been linked with over the years.
The actor has comic book pedigree after appearing in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and he’s no slouch to effects-heavy blockbusters, either. Throw in the distinct possibility that his Academy Award for Best Actor could already be in the bag thanks to a towering performance in Oppenheimer, and he’d be a huge get for the MCU.
Doctor Doom has been one of the most popular characters floated on the rumor mill dating back to a time before the reboot had even been announced, and while the Latverian ruler wasn’t named specifically, Murphy did admit on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he’s open to anything so long as the writing is strong enough.
“Yeah, I think you’ve answered the question. Yeah, I mean, I’m always… It’s always about the script. So, I’ll read… If someone sends a script, I’ll read it. And you never know what turns up.”
Having already worked on one of the genre’s all-time greats in Batman Begins, it would take a top-notch screenplay to convince Murphy to return to the world of spandex-clad crimefighters, and the MCU’s recent woes indicate that sort of quality may not be forthcoming anytime soon.