Summary
- Arcade, a bizarre X-Men villain, could be a perfect fit for the MCU due to the X-Men's expansive history, and actor Andy Samberg would be an ideal choice for this role.
- With a 45-year history of causing trouble, Arcade is an evil genius who poses a real threat and has made appearances alongside major Marvel heroes.
- Arcade's showmanship, immaturity, and ability to target the psychology of his foes make him a potentially memorable recurring villain in the MCU, and Samberg's previous roles showcase his ability to portray both comedic and dramatic moments.
The X-Men have fought plenty of villains over the years, meaning their eventual arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe opens the doors to a lot of nefarious new characters. One of their most bizarre baddies, in particular, might be perfect for the MCU because of the X-Men's expansive history. Arcade might not reach the threat levels of Kang or Ultron, but he'd be an ideal role for Andy Samberg and a potentially great subversion of an archetype that he's explored frequently in his career.
Arcade would also undoubtedly make for a solid recurring villain in the MCU — a boisterously goofy but ultimately dangerous antagonist who could challenge pretty much anyone in the universe. A supervillain with a 45-year history of causing trouble, he is an evil genius who has caused very real damage to the heroes of the Marvel Universe. The character has also made notable appearances alongside some huge heroes, including his attempted slaying of the unlikely duo of Spider-Man and Captain Britain.
Updated on September 25, 2023, by Ajay Aravind: The X-Men number among the oldest Marvel characters — some of whom will be celebrating their 60th birthday this month. The franchise has since expanded rapidly, incorporating superheroes, supervillains, and innumerable side characters. Among them is Arcade, a villain who hasn't appeared in any of the cinematic adaptations to date. This character's eccentric behavior and innovative methods have made him a unique presence in the comic world. Some have suggested that Andy Samberg should play Arcade as the character seems right up the actor's alley, citing Samberg's performances in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Hot Rod. As such, we've updated this feature with more arguments about why Andy Samberg is the best choice.
Who Is The Classic X-Men Villain, Arcade?
Arcade — introduced in 1977's Marvel Team-Up #65 (Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Dave Hunt, and Bruce Patterson) — has fought much of the Marvel Universe at one time or another. He has become perhaps most infamous as an enemy of the X-Men, fighting multiple iterations of the team over the years. A twisted billionaire with a panache for creative slaughter, Arcade's trap-lain lairs made him a world-famous assassin for upper-crust targets.
However, the superhero community proved particularly tricky, as his creations could never keep up with the mutants -- leaving him to make more desperate plays for attention. Arcade's chief nefarious creation is Murderworld, an amusement park-style trap designed to test and eventually kill superheroes. One particularly memorable storyline in Avengers Arena saw the villain kidnap several young heroes and force them through a death tournament. His most recent appearance was in a story arc from Hellions, coming up against Mister Sinister's team of "reformed" mutants. And fans got a reminder of just how dangerous this foppish fiend can really be.
All things considered, Arcade is one of the X-Men's silliest villains, almost by design. His costume and affectations are overtly performative and would be ideally suited to Samberg's inimitable style. He's a showman who is bored with regular deaths and wants to do something a bit more exciting, and that immature side easily feeds into a vicious mentality.
Arcade is someone who targets the psychology of his foes and would break all the toys rather than give them up, and his sudden ferocity gives him a shade of genuine danger. All of this sets him up as a potentially memorable antagonist. The MCU version of Arcade could become the ultimate recurring foe of the universe, someone who could challenge any hero in major or minor ways. On top of that, the ideal performer for that part should have already perfected the "goofy man-boy" archetype that would be necessary for the role.
Why Should Andy Samberg Be Arcade?
Samberg rose to prominence as a featured cast member on Saturday Night Live, with his Lonely Island Digital Shorts becoming major breakout hits. Along with roles in films like Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping as well as Palm Springs, Samberg played Brooklyn Nine-Nine's central character, Jake Peralta, a brilliant but childish detective with the NYPD. Peralta is known for being a classic man-child, but he's also got the brains to devise complex plans and operations when it means solving a case. In fact, he's arguably the 99th precinct's best problem-solver.
Another Samberg character that contains noticeable overtones of Arcade is SkekGra, a hilariously inane creature in Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. This individual was once a savage killer before he becomes the Heretic — willingly sacrificing his vicious brutality in exchange for oodles of eccentricity. Even Samberg's lead character in Hot Rod undergoes profound character growth, despite Rod's consistently misguided albeit heartwarming enthusiasm.
In all of these roles, Samberg has hinted at a deeper well of vulnerability — often for comic effect — but his dramatic moments, when they come, are often just as powerful. Tweaking that vulnerability away from endearing to frightening could make him a deceptively terrifying villain in a project, and Arcade would be the perfect high-profile character to do that with. If that's not enough, both Arcade and Samberg have eerily similar expressions that can only be described as mischievously cheeky.
Arcade might not be a Thanos-level villain, someone who could dominate the entire MCU, but he could make for a fun minor villain, one who could challenge the heroes for a chapter or two in their overarching storylines. In addition, his versatility allows him to bedevil any hero. For instance, let Arcade show up on She-Hulk filing a patent on his kill-bots, or on Daredevil: Born Again as one of the challenges thrown at Matt Murdock.
He'd also be a great outlandish antagonist for Deadpool to encounter now that he's joining the MCU. He'd be even more perfect for an X-Men film, as Arcade's traps could be a great means of showcasing a large range of characters and their abilities in quick succession, as well as how they operate as a team. Samberg's particular brand of childish anger skews between slightly annoying and deeply endearing — dialed up to a villainous and even campy vibe, the actor could be the ideal way to translate the minor villain from the comics into a potentially hilarious and dangerous threat for the cinematic universe.