As we all know, after the new Chronicle 2(Fantastic Four) movie failed, Marvel is looking for actors who can actually fill the shoes of their First Family. With the rights reverted back to the mother ship, they will need to choose very wisely as they have with all of their other flagship characters. Casting the Fantastic Four will be very important, but even more important than that task will be to finally get their most popular villain right in Victor von Doom. After the Toby Kebbell debacle, Marvel is looking to find someone that actually fits the bill of a semi-god, all-powerful, Latveria ruling, Galactus/Thanos stomping, Silver Surfer power stealing villain with not only superb acting skills who can actually make the audience feel shivers down their spines but also command the screen with his physicality unlike Kebbell did. My answer to that is Mads Mikkelson.
1. Physicality.
Mads Mikkelsen stands at 6’0” and 181 lbs. Not massive by any standards but put on the Marvel workout plan he will be more than physical enough for the role. His physicality comes from his piercing glare and eyes that bring a sense of fear to any viewer. But let’s not forget his work in Valhalla Rising that he beefed up for the role of One-Eye that should more than enough ease anyone’s conscience in his physical presence on screen.
2. Acting Ability.
This is a no brainer. After watching Kebbell fail in every way to convince me of being Marvel’s most popular villain, I would look forward to seeing Mads blow this out of the water. His work in Pusher, Pusher 2 and Casino Royale more than show his range in being able to play a convincing villain. Also, if you haven’t seen him in Hannibal then you really don’t know the extent of where he could take Dr. Doom.
3. Ethnicity.
Dr. Doom was raised as a child in Latveria as a son of a gypsy. His rise to become the leader of that country is a fantastic tale chronicled in the Books of Doom. Latveria is located in Eastern Europe a place that Mads Mikkelson entrenched himself culturally, especially on film. Mads would finally be able to bring a legit accent to Dr. Doom that he has been lacking in all three of the previous movies.
4. Age.
Kebbell looked like a sniveling weasel trying to play the role of a super powered god. Then again he was blogging half of the film. That’s what children do I guess these days. I know a lot of people keep going to the “It’s based on the Ultimates version!” Well, for one no it isn’t, because it didn’t look anything like it and second who would want it to look like the Ultimates anyway? That was a horrible run for the Fantastic Four. We need a seasoned Dr. Doom one who embodies someone who has diplomatic immunity everywhere he goes because he RULES his own country. Mads Mikkelsen would absolutely pull this off in ways that only a fanboy can dream. He has the depth as an actor as seen in The Hunt and again his work in Hannibal makes him the obvious choice for a role like Dr. Doom.
In conclusion, I hope Marvel Studios goes with Mads Mikkelsen as Victor von Doom as they begin work integrating the Fantastic Four world into the MCU. This is absolutely the ONLY obvious choice going forward. I will be updating in the next few days my choices for the rest of the Fantastic Four as Marvel starts looking for their new cast, be on the lookout!