Marvel Studios will reboot the X-Men after Avengers: Secret Wars. The plan then is reportedly for both Mister Sinister and Apocalypse to step into the spotlight as the big bads of the next Saga (likely named the "Mutant Saga").
In the comics, Nathaniel Essex ranks among the greatest geneticists to have ever lived, and is skilled in cloning, creating new life, and even in the manipulation of mutant DNA for enhancing powers, incorporating mutant DNA into his own. He also has quite the obsession with the Summers bloodline.
Mister Sinister is a terrifying, unhinged, and formidable threat not only to mutantkind but the wider MCU, as well. Finding an actor to do right by him won't be easy, but we believe those featured here would be a fittingly sinister Sinister!
Find out who we think should play the MCU's Mister Sinister by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
5. Jesse Plemons
Jesse Plemons first came to our attention in Breaking Bad, but he's since delivered stellar performance after stellar performance on the big and small screens. Whether it's Fargo, Love & Death, or Kinds of Kindness, Plemons never fails to impress.
Combine the simmering nastiness of his Civil War role with his wackier work (in Jungle Cruise and the upcoming Bugonia, for example) and you'd have the perfect Mister Sinister.
He's an unconventional suggestion, sure, but one we believe would give us a truly great Nathaniel Essex on screen. Sinister's MCU arrival will mark his live-action debut, and Plemons is the right person to introduce him to moviegoers.
4. Daniel Craig
A popular suggestion for Mister Sinister, we know that the former James Bond isn't against the notion of suiting up for a superhero movie. Had it not been for restrictions caused by the pandemic, Daniel Craig might have played Balder in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The Knives Out star has all the makings of a great Mister Sinister, and would remain true to the villain's British roots as deranged Victorian scientist, Nathaniel Essex.
It's looking increasingly likely that Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot will be made up primarily of lesser-known actors, so casting a big name draw like Craig as Mister Sinister is a must. Even more important than that is the fact that the talented 007 actor can bring real gravitas to this role.
3. Walton Goggins
Mister Sinister is devious, intelligent, terrifying, and...batsh*t crazy. Any actor who plays the Cyclops-obsessed baddie needs to effectively portray that, and that's where The White Lotus and Justified star comes in.
Walter Goggins has solidified himself as one of the best character actors working in Hollywood today, and he's long overdue for a major movie role like this one. Marvel Studios needs to put Mister Sinister on the map as a legit threat, and we believe Goggins is ideally suited to that.
He may not be a traditional Hollywood A-lister, but make no mistake about it: Goggins would make Mister Sinister his own and surely do right by the comic books.
2. Colman Domingo
Colman Domingo is currently the MCU's Norman Osborn in Marvel Animation's Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. As much as we'd love to see his take on a live-action Green Goblin, we can't help but think he'd be just as well-suited to Mister Sinister.
The actor, who has earned acclaim for his work in The Four Seasons, Rustin, and Sing Sing, has all the necessary credentials to bring a convincingly unhinged, evil Mister Sinister to our screens.
A little more physically imposing than some of the other actors listed here, it's easy to imagine Domingo's Nathaniel Essex being a physical threat to the X-Men, as well as a psychological one. Plus, that voice would be ideal for the X-Men villain.
1. Cillian Murphy
Do we think this could happen? Honestly, no. Convincing Cillian Murphy to join the MCU would be no easy feat for Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, but if he can find a way to make it happen, then we'd have a phenomenal Mister Sinister on our hands.
The Oppenheimer star is no stranger to playing supervillains, as he previously brought Scarecrow to life in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Provided Mister Sinister gives him enough interesting material to sink his teeth into as an actor, Murphy might say yes. Look no further than the recent "Krakoan Age" in the X-Men comics for proof that this villain can be a compelling, complex, and delightfully deranged antagonist.