No doubt this week that the biggest news is that
Rush and
Inglorious Bastards actor Daniel Bruhl has joined the MCU. Some reports claim he's strictly the villain of
Civil War while others claim that he's also a villain in
Doctor Strange. Either way, it's interesting to see such a great actor be brought in to the MCU.
He drinks the blood of the innocent.
So who is Daniel playing? Well it certainly seems like he's playing a villain, even if he's the sympathetic type, he definitely looks to be opposing an Avenger or two.
Let's get the chedda rollin, and the theories flying.
THEORY #1: THE RED SKULL
I know what you're thinking,
"But Hulksta, wasn't Hugo Weaving already cast as Red Skull?" Yes, he was. He's also indicated that he's not really keen on coming back for the role.
Back in 2012, Weaving had this to say:
“They might for The Avengers, but I didn’t think I’d be in Captain America 2 or 3. I don’t think Red Skull will be there. And it’s not something I would want to do again. I’m glad I did it.
I did sign up for a number of pictures and I suppose, contractually, I would be obliged to, if they forced me to, but they wouldn’t want to force someone to do it, if they didn’t want to. I think I’ve done my dash with that sort of film.
It was good to do it and try it out, but to be honest, it’s not the sort of film I seek out and really am excited by. As an actor, to do all sorts of different films is great. It stretches you in different ways."
So even as far back as then, Weaving seemingly mentions a possibility that the character could appear in future movies, not obviously he didn't appear in
The Avengers or
Winter Soldier but
Captain America: Civil War is always a possibility.
Even this year, Kevin Feige had this to say,
“Well, the way we showed his 'demise' in The First Avenger was to showcase to people that he could perhaps pop up again sometime. I honestly don't know when or where that would be."
As Weaving puts it, if he didn't want to return, it's unlikely Marvel would drag him onto set to force him into a role he doesn't want. That's going to produce a terrible performance, and I'm guessing Marvel wants the most from it's actors. Also, Feige has hinted of the characters return.
In the comics, Red Skull inhabits the mind of Alexander Lukin, now this may sound familiar (and it is) to
an article I published a while back. While I was wrong about Pierce being Red Skull, the idea of his consciousness taking over another would sort of tie things into
Doctor Strange and also while they could have Bruhl essentially play Lukin, I think it would be great to see him orchestrate the Superhero Registration Act alongside Tony. Only for Tony and Steve to realize that Tony has been played by Skull the entire time. Something like that.
It also seems fitting to bring back Red Skull for what would probably be Chris Evans last Cap solo movie.
THEORY #2: BARON ZEMO
If you've read Civil War, you know that Baron Zemo plays both Tony and Steve at various points throughout the event. While he seems to be aiding certain parties throughout the book, it ultimately comes to light that he is serving only himself and his own motivations.
My only problem with Zemo being in
Civil War and perhaps
Doctor Strange is that for a movie that will have so many pre-existing characters, to add Zemo and give him the proper screentime to tell his backstory seems like a lofty task. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I think that it's a challenge that the Russos and Marvel as a whole best avoid.
If he is added, and there is a possibility despite my own hesitation, then he could be a great way to introduce either the Thunderbolts or the Masters of Evil. The MCU could certainly be improved with the addition of Baron Zemo, especially since they could retconn the whole Zemo backstory, or even incorporate it with
Agent Carter.
Also, while I don't think this would be the case, I'd prefer Zemo to get a bit more attention then he would in this film if he's sharing it with all those other characters. A character like Crossbones will undoubtebly play an inportant role, and I think Zemo would take away from Crossbones.
THEORY #3: AN ORIGINAL CHARACTER
While I spent months thinking that Alexander Pierce was Red Skull, he did however just end up being a rather original creation. Yes, his name was taken from a comic book character, but they essentially created a new character.
Of these, I could see them blending Alexander Lukin and Nikolaus Geist, two rather uneventful characters that if you merged characteristics of the two, it could make for an engaging villain.
CONCLUSION
My main theory is that Red Skull is being brought back, played by a new actor. In this sense, Marvel can find a new way to bring in one of Marvel's biggest supervillains whilst finally moving forward. While I think we'd like to see consistent actors playing the same characters, we've seen positive changes come from the recasting of Rhodey and Bruce Banner, so I think if Marvel sees a great way to pull it off, they might as well go for it.
Either way, you don't bring in an actor as good ad Daniel Bruhl without giving him something awesome to do.
Who do you think Bruhl is playing? As always, thumb this article, and leave a comment with who you think he's playing. As always, keep cool.