FEATURE: Five Actresses Who Could Play Ms. Marvel Captain Marvel In THE AVENGERS Sequel
In the third and final instalment of this week's "Five Actors/Actresses Who Should Play..." feature here on CBM, I take a look at five actresses that I believe would be the perfect choice to finally bring Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel Captain Marvel to the big screen.
While Ant-Man will be getting his own solo movie before the release of the sequel to billion dollar box office hit, Marvel's The Avengers, it would be more than a little disappointing if he was the only new addition to the roster of Earth's Mightiest Heroes! So, why not take the opportunity to add one of Marvel's best female character's to the team? Carol Danvers (who now goes by the title of Captain Marvel, rather than Ms. Marvel) is a great character, and while a solo movie has some potential, introducing her in the follow-up to Joss Whedon's superhero ensemble seems like a sensible decision. So, who should play her? Well, here are my top five choices...
5. EMILY BLUNT
Despite passing up the opportunity to play Black Widow in 2010's Iron Man 2, Emily Blunt has recently expressed interest in still working with Marvel Studios, and this might just be the role for her. Admittedly, she doesn't exactly look as suitable for Captain Marvel as some of the other actresses listed below, but fans said the exact same thing when Emma Stone was cast as Gwen Stacy and Christopher Nolan brought Anne Hathaway on board as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. While many have understandably campaigned for the beautiful Brit to play Lara Croft in the planned Tomb Raider remake, this would still be a great action/superhero role for her to take on after fantastic performances in everything from The Adjustment Bureau to less serious fare like The Devil Wears Prada and The Five-Year Engagement. An unexpected, but still interesting suggestion, no?
4. KATIE CASSIDY
As one of the youngest actresses on this list, Katie Cassidy would arguably be the most risky casting decision by Marvel Studios. Best known for starring in the likes of Supernatural, Melrose Place and Gossip Girl, the actress doesn't exactly have a résumé which will leave you convinced that she's the right choice to play Captain Marvel on the big screen. However, with a role in Arrow this Fall as Dinah Lance (a.k.a. Black Canary) she may finally have the opportunity to show what she can do in the genre, and regardless of whether or not you're a fan of the shows mentioned above, Cassidy is a great actress. Despite her youthful appearance, it's hard to imagine her not looking just right in the costume - regardless of whether that's the Ms. Marvel or Captain Marvel one - and Marvel could do a lot worse than giving her a chance to shine.
3. RUTH WILSON
Of all those mentioned on this list, I imagine that Ruth Wilson might get the biggest reaction (possibly because those of you outside of the UK may not even know who she is). Again, not exactly a dead ringer for how Captain Marvel appears in the comic books, that doesn't mean she wouldn't still be a fantastic choice. Have you seen Luther? Her performance as the psychotic 'Alice Morgan' opposite Idris Elba was simply fantastic, and she's a talent who deserves a career on the big screen. Thankfully that will begin with next year's The Lone Ranger for Disney, so why not give her the chance to play Carol Danvers in The Avengers sequel? In terms of acting, she has a very different style to the other strong female characters in that franchise (Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow) and I for one would love to see her unique take on Captain Marvel.
2. CLAIRE DANES
Fantastic in Matthew Vaughn's Stardust (2007), Claire Danes has now come to the attention of most people after starring in the award winning and incredible first season of Homeland (as unbalanced CIA operations officer, 'Carrie Mathison'). While neither of those performances exactly scream Captain Marvel, she has the right look, and it most certainly wouldn't be difficult to imagine her faithfully representing the militaristic side of Carol Danvers which has very much been brought to the forefront in Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy's critically acclaimed new series. Like Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), Captain Marvel is a role which requires an actress who can add a real sense of depth and believability to the character. And that, is Claire Danes.
1. YVONNE STRAHOVSKI
Former Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski has been my top choice to play Captain Marvel ever since I first wrote this editorial way back in May, 2010 (when the character was still known as Ms. Marvel). Since then, the actress was at one point actually rumoured to be in talks to play Carol Danvers in Marvel's The Avengers, but that obviously amounted to nothing and came from a pretty unreliable source regardless. Not only does Strahovski look perfect for the role, but she displayed a wide array of acting abilities in Chuck, all of which easily make her the best choice to bring the character to life on the big screen. In equal parts brilliant as a bad-ass CIA Agent as she is at being a relatable and likeable presence on screen, the beautiful Australian would have no issues in being entirely convincing as the air force pilot turned superhero.
Over the past few days, these casting features have created a great deal of discussion among you all (regardless of whether or not you've liked the choices presented). Please do sound off in the usual place with your thoughts on the five actresses here - as well as who YOU would like to see play Captain Marvel - and stay tuned for next week's instalments which will feature Aquaman, The Flash and Wonder Woman. Thanks for reading!