With Avengers: Endgame coming next year, we officially have reached the end of the MCU Phase Three slate. These 22 movies have been revolutionary to say the least, but as fans we always want to know what's next for the world of Marvel movies -- what can we expect from Phase Four? Who's going to survive to the next tier? And for that coming wave of new character introductions, who's going to be cast as our favorite, and sometimes long relegated, characters? The Phase Four movie slate was originally announced by Marvel in 2014, yet none of these has begun shooting beyond Spider-Man: Far From Home. Other films that have been confirmed include a Black Widow solo outing, The Eternals, Black Panther 2, Shang-Chi, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Doctor Strange 2. That leaves at least three films in limbo and the possibility for more.
We can almost certainly assume that Captain Marvel will receive a sequel based on the hype surrounding the her upcoming introduction to the MCU, but beyond that, who really knows. Will we finally see the Fantastic Four or X-Men in the MCU? Will Ant-Man get a second sequel? Will we have another proper Avengers movie? It's all up in the air. While we wait though, there are numerous characters who have a significant chance of appearing based on the confirmed movies. So, in the grand tradition of fan movie casting, let's speculate who could be a great fit! Some of these are pretty locked in as we speak, while others are just fanboy dreams.
20 RYAN GOSLING AS NOVA
Let's just get Ryan Gosling out of the way with our first entry. The "Gos" is a superb actor who just oozes charm with his every performance. Quite frankly, he could probably take on each and every male role in this list. With that being said, who wouldn't want to see him suit up as Richard Rider?
We all know that Thanos wiped out the Nova Corps off-screen at the beginning of Infinity War, which means the whole of the Xandarian Worldmind must be funnelled into any remaining centurion. If Marvel is going to continue to push its cosmic titles, then Xandar and the Nova Corps has to be an integral part of that. So this calls for a charismatic, confidant yet somewhat self-doubting lead that you can believe would be the focal point of the Nova Corps.
19 CHARLIE HUNNAM AS THE SILVER SURFER
The Silver Surfer is a tragic character who ties together several aspects of the Marvel cosmic universe. Intricately connected to the Fantastic Four, Norrin Radd is nevertheless a focal point that can appear throughout any of the MCU movies. We've already seen that the Watchers exist, so The Surfer can't be far behind.
Having appeared in Fox's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, he was easily the best part of that film. His MCU appearance should build off that. Foremost, we need an actor with a significant build who would look great in minimal attire. Add in a great accent to bring a bit more gravitas to the character and you should be good to go. We all know Charlie Hunnam has the physique, and he was a decent King Arthur although that movie didn't perform as expected. He might just be perfect as the tragic Surfer.
18 NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU AS QUASAR
While the Silver Surfer is a proud and stoic character, Quasar falls in the opposite spectrum. Quasar is the every-man with cosmic powers -- a guy who's just trying to do good with his force of will. Who better to portray Wendell Vaughn than Game of Thrones' very own Kingslayer?
If Nikolaj Coster-Waldau can make us sympathetic to a borderline psychopath, just imagine how well we could connect with him if he actually played a character that was thoroughly good? Plus, he's already a dead ringer for the blond Quasar. Let's hope that Nikolaj gets a chance to slap on the Quantum Bands and appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 or some other cosmic adventure.
17 CARA DELEVINGNE AS MOONDRAGON
It has been speculated that Moondragon would make an MCU appearance since the original GOTG. The daughter of the man that would be reborn as Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon has a long standing relationship with Thanos and his homeworld of Titan. There are few cosmic entities within the Marvel Universe that have not had some sort of interaction with Moondragon. Plus, she brings with her more diversity, which would be welcomed by the fan base.
While there's no shortage of Hollywood actresses than could shave their head and fill into Moondragon's shoes, a popular choice has been Cara Delevigne. No stranger to comic book films, the MCU could usher her in and make her their own.
16 BRAD PITT AS ADAM WARLOCK
This might be pandering a bit to the female fans of the MCU, but who wouldn't love to see Brad Pitt as Adam Warlock? Warlock, who for all intents and purposes is the messiah figure of the MCU. We're sure there are a lot of individuals who could lay claim to the perfect human, but few would argue if Pitt was the one chosen.
As an integral part of Marvel's cosmic titles and traditionally the savior when dealing with the Infinity Gauntlet, Warlock's stature within the MCU demands an actor of equal footing. We all know Pitt looks the part, and we know he can definitely stretch his acting chops. Plus, he appeared for like two seconds in Deadpool 2 and was arguably one of the most memorable parts of that movie.
15 EMILY BLUNT AS YELENA BELOVA
With a Black Widow solo movie confirmed we can only hope we will see the appearance of Yelena Belova as the competing Widow. Trained in the same Russian Red Room program, Belova takes everything about the Black Widow character and adds a razor edged amorality that makes her unpredictable and the perfect foil for Natasha.
Having been mentioned in talks to play the current Black Widow, Emily Blunt has already shown she can be a great female lead with her role in Edge of Tomorrow. She'd be a natural fit for the blond Russian spy and really bring the character to life.
14 SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT AS DANNY FRENCH
Okay, work with us here. Natasha needs a real romantic interest. Clearly the whole Hulk thing in the MCU isn't plausible and one could argue that there is little to no spark between Scarlet Johansson and Mark Ruffalo. That leaves a gaping hole for a smooth, good looking guy to slide into.
There's a chance that Bucky fills the void, but we'd be more interested in it being a character with an espionage background. Enter Danny French, world-class spy, ladies man and a bit of a jerk. Although Seann William Scott has been absent as of late from Hollywood, he definitely has the looks and can play a smooth talker. It's an off the wall suggestion that might be perfect.
13 ANDREW LINCOLN AS TASKMASTER
It'll be interesting to see how the Black Widow movie develops as she truly does not have a traditional nemesis that's tied directly to her. Looking at it positively, it is an opportunity to bring in some of the more interesting supervillains from the Marvel Universe.
One of the coolest villains, based on both his skill set and general appearance, is Taskmaster. The mercenary can utilize his "photographic reflexes" to mimic almost any fighting style and would be a great addition to the MCU. So who could bring the skull-faced villain to life? How about The Walking Dead's own Andrew Lincoln? We know he's free after leaving the long-running show. Lincoln would be a natural fit and a potential pest for all our MCU heroes.
12 LUDI LIN AS SHANG-CHI
Given the amount of criticism Marvel received for its Iron Fist casting decisions, it is no surprise that they're committed to fully represent the Asian influence on Hollywood with Shang-Chi. While Iron Fist truly did not deserve such judgement as the character being Anglo is an integral part to Danny Rand, the MCU can now move forward and bring in their greatest martial artist.
With a focus on marital arts and a strong performance in Power Rangers, Ludi Lin brings the physical attributes needed for "The Master of Kung Fu." Having trained extensively in Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling, the film can parlay his natural talents.
11 DONNIE YEN AS ZHENG ZHU
It would be an absolute shame if Marvel can't figure out a way to include Donnie Yen into a Shang-Chi movie. The famed martial arts actor is unfortunately too old to play the titular character, but he'd be a shoe-in for his father, Zheng Zhu, also known as Fu Manchu.
With Fu Manchu being an essential part of Shang-Chi's origin and development, this would give fans a full helping of Donnie Yen. This might be the easiest casting call on this list. Yen is the right age, has the right training, and has already become a fan-favorite as witnessed in Rogue One.
10 FREEMA AGYEMAN AS STORM
While the X-Men proper might not be making their MCU premiere for some time, that doesn't mean T'Challa's future wife can't make an appearance. Given her mom's status as a Kenyan Princess and her time growing up in Cairo, Ororo has deep ties to the African continent and could easily be incorporated into a future Black Panther movie.
Although we've already had two separate Storms appear in X-Men films, Marvel would most certainly recast. Freema Agyeman would be the perfect age to compliment Chadwick Boseman and has a sweet English accent that would go great with the X-Men's weather goddess.
9 LUKE EVANS AS NAMOR
He was the best part of a subpar Dracula movie, and he was the best part of a wildly successful live action Disney film. We'd venture to say that Luke Evans is a really good actor, so what better way to keep him in the Disney fold then than to make him the King of the Atlanteans?
The success of a potential Namor film will be hinted at by the coming Aquaman feature. Namor can be effortlessly blended into the MCU, given his sometime mutant designation and penchant for vengeance. An anti-hero at best, Namor could be a great addition to Black Panther 2, and the MCU at large.
8 JON HAMM AS KRAVEN THE HUNTER
Kraven The Hunter's status in the MCU might be up in the air given his relationship to Spider-Man and Sony's insistence that they want to make a movie with him, but if Marvel can get their hands on him he would be an excellent addition to Black Panther 2. The interest in bringing Kraven in was already there for the first movie and he'd bring a natural conflict for the sequel.
The older villain would have been expertly played by Josh Brolin, but with Thanos and Cable already under his belt, let's pick another stellar actor -- Jon Hamm. Beyond being the correct age, give or take, Hamm can play it smooth and cruel as he showed in Baby Driver. He'd be a natural for the wild big game hunter.
7 PETER CAPALDI AS NIGHTMARE
We definitely know that Nightmare will be a part of Doctor Strange 2, and it is a pleasure to know that Marvel isn't shying away from the good Dcotor's more interesting rogues. With Dormammu already in check and Mordo running free, the inclusion of Nightmare hints at greater magical aspects being incorporated into the universe.
With the visual representation of Nightmare so integral, it is essential that the actor chosen can not only channel the Freddy-like foe, put pull him off stylistically as well. Enter Peter Capaldi, whose acting pedigree has already shown he can pull off the character, and wild sinewy build would be a natural for the ruler of the Dream Dimension.
6 WILLEM DAFOE AS MEPHISTO
Willem Dafoe needs to come back to the Marvel fold! The one-time Norman Osborn will take a small sojourn into the Worlds of DC with his portrayal of Vulko in Aquaman, but a talent as good as his shouldn't be disregarded by MCU. Plus, he clearly likes comic book movies.
What better role to bring him back than that of the MCU's very own devil, Mephisto? Let's be honest, Dafoe was born to play this role. Plus, we already know Nightmare is going to be in Doctor Strange 2, so there's no reason Marvel can't really dig into the more occult aspects of the character and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
5 MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY AS NORMAN OSBORN
Willem Dafoe nailed it as the Green Goblin throughout the first three Spider-Man movies. His portrayal of the iconic character though was very classical, and doesn't quite mesh with the more modern interpretation of the Norman Osborn who can pull the strings of the entire Marvel Universe.
For that role we need an actor with a delivery that's a bit more suave. Someone who can definitely charm you, but also beat you if need be. Matthew McConaughey might just be the perfect fit. He's smooth, there's no doubt about that, and his role in The Wolf of Wall Street is as slimy as we'd expect Norman Osborn to be. This isn't a fugazi, this is a perfect casting.
4 REMY HII AS HYDRO-MAN
We know Marvel likes to cast some up and coming stars as many of their stalwarts reached stardom after their MCU introductions. We also know that Spider-Man: Far from Home cast Remy Hii in an unknown role. Plus, based on recent Tom Holland social media footage, it sure seems that Hydro-Man could be making an appearance.
Could we have a pairing of Hii as Hydro-Man? The character is certainly interesting enough, and his continual involvement within the Spider-Man mythos could point to additional appearances with either the Sinister Six, The Masters of Evil, or any other supervillain team.
3 NAOMI SCOTT AS KAMALA KHAN
One of the more interesting tidbits surrounding the MCU is Marvel's tendency to cast older actors. Thus, before long we get into the debate of whether someone is "too old" to further play the role. Their more recent choices have definitely skewed towards the younger side though, with Tom Holland currently 22 and Brie Larson being 29.
With the upcoming Captain Marvel movie shaping up as another hit, a proper Kamala Khan movie or appearance cannot be far behind. While the character is traditionally in her teens, a potential choice could be Naomi Scott. The young actress is set to bring Jasmine to life in Disney's next live-action re-imagining, and has strong ties to Disney reaching back to her childhood.
2 ZAC EFRON AS MOON KNIGHT
So this one might be more of a wish list, but Marvel needs to devise some way to get Zac Efron on board the MCU. He's just too talented of an actor, too good looking, and too much of a draw not to be included. Furthermore, if you're going to use Efron, you have to take full advantage of his skill set.
We already know that Efron was rumored to be in talks as way back as 2014 to join the MCU in some capacity. Given his diverse skill set he'd be a natural to play Marvel crimefighter Moon Knight. With the more recent interpretations having the character deal with multiple personalities, Efron could really show off his chops.
1 MILLIE BOBBY BROWN AS KITTY PRYDE
This is the slam dunk of casting. Although the X-Men are nowhere in the picture, there hasn't been a more unanimous push to have a person cast as an X-Man since Jean-Luc Picard was plugged as Professor X. Millie Bobby Brown earned her breakout star status after the first season of Stranger Things, and the second season only cemented that (although we could have all done without the one episode where she escapes... you know the one).
Not only has Brown shown she can play a hero with powers, she has shown great interaction with the adult characters surrounding her. With Kitty traditionally being a 13-year old girl surrounded by older teen and adult X-Men, this repartee between age ranges is essential.