5 Marvel Characters Who Could Be Recast After Avengers: Doomsday And Secret Wars

We might've already predicted on-screen deaths and potential backstabbing in "Avengers: Doomsday," but a real shake-up could come after the dust settles with "Avengers: Secret Wars." The follow-up to this year's big superhero extravaganza will see Earth's Mightiest Heroes rectify whatever reality-shaking squabble Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) might've started, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expected to never be the same. 

With the imminent arrival of an all-new X-Men team, it feels like, with a new band of stars bringing that motley squad of mutants to life, the chances of some original MCU heroes getting recast don't feel wild either. Such a creative choice wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the franchise, given that Chris Evans returned as Johnny Storm, aka Human Torch, in "Deadpool and Wolverine" before he returned as Steve Rogers and will be facing off against Downey, who will be switching from billionaire playboy philanthropist to lunatic ruler of Latveria.

This kind of 'soft reboot' prospect has been discussed with MCU head Kevin Feige, who confirmed (via NME) that recasting some characters could eventually happen. With that in mind, it begs the question: which other MCU heroes or villains might be recast, and who are our dream picks for the challenge? After careful consideration, we've narrowed it down to five characters who have either made their mark in the MCU or could be all-new variants showing up in this comic book world we love so much, even after all this time. 

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) might've assured audiences he'd be playing Wolverine until he's 90, but given where the mutant race is headed, we don't think it's a particularly good idea to keep Hugh Jackman popping the claws in the role. With Feige giving audiences a newer, younger version of the X-Men, throwing Jackman into the mix just doesn't feel like it would work anymore (the Jean, Cyclops, and Logan love triangle is off the table for starters).

In that case, we anticipate Jackman's run as the crazed canucklehead will finally come to an end in "Secret Wars," and the mantle of Wolverine will be left unattended until the new X-Men are settled in this cinematic universe. For now, we'd be all for the prospect of Dafne Keen reprising her role as Laura Kinney and, by extension, becoming the new Wolverine. Doing so would allow Kinney to become as prominent a figure in this universe as she is in the comics.

Then perhaps in a few years' time, when the students of the new Charles Xavier (Christopher Abbott replacing the late, great Patrick Stewart) have cemented the team of the perfect superteam, they can finally cross paths with a brand new Logan who will be able to cut the claws as well as Jackman has for almost three decades. Personal preference would be someone like Jack O'Connell, or Jackman's own preferred successor, Taron Egerton. If Marvel Studios is desperate to keep the original one on, there's nothing stopping him from being a teacher at the new school and a mentor to both Laura and his own variant to mix things up. 

Just as recasting Wolverine should be worth waiting for, so too should the duplicitous villain who can drain metal from him like a sponge. We already know Christopher Abbott will follow the late Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, but there's still no mention of who might play his longtime counterpart, Magneto. It might be an easy call to bring back Michael Fassbender after he took on the role in four films, but it doesn't seem right when McAvoy isn't joining him.

Instead, we'd prefer a brand-new star don the crimson cape as Erik Lensherr, aka Magnus, aka the Master of Magnetism. Such a role would demand serious talent, preferably from someone around the same age as Abbott. The issue is that most of the big stars around that age are already in the MCU in key roles (Oscar Isaac is Moon Knight, Adam Driver is signed on as Mister Sinister, for example). One compelling idea, however, is yet another online pick that, the more we think about it, the more it fits — former Man of Steel and impending Highlander, Henry Cavill.

We've already seen him with shoulder-length white hair in "The Witcher," but now imagine him floating in the air, turning steel cables into spaghetti and proclaiming that mutants are the future. Come on, Marvel, make it happen. Let Cavill go bad for once and mix things up a little. Or do a meta casting bit and have former "Legion" star (the son of Charles Xavier) Dan Stevens try it out.

We know Chris Evans will be returning to join the fold against Doctor Doom, but the man out of time can't keep fighting forever. With the obvious out via alternate realities, nothing stops a Rogers from another reality from showing up here and making a new home for himself. In the comics, universe-bending brawls have been on such a scale that variants of our favorite world savers have united across realities to take down whatever threat demanded it, so why not do the same for Steve Rogers?

Give someone else a shot at being the legendary super soldier. In fact, why not mix things up with another Cap from a different reality, only with a very different agenda. In the comics, a HYDRA-honed Rogers from another reality fooled everyone on Earth into thinking he was the real deal, only to stage a world-changing coup d'etat. Thankfully, the real Rogers battled the imposter, which saw the evil version thrown behind bars.

Years later, though, he busted out, took on the new title of Grant (his middle name), and eventually rebranded himself as Flag-Smasher. With that important story detail, Marvel Studios could find themselves a new Steve Rogers from another universe and apply the same twist, with the 'Flag-Smasher' title having extra weight given that it was the first foe Sam went up against as the new Cap in "Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

We're not quite sure where "Avengers: Secret Wars" is going to take the MCU, outside a new band of teenage mutants and Ryan Gosling setting his head on fire as the newly appointed "Ghost Rider." What feels like a safe bet for the time being, though, is that there are going to be more heroes from across realities joining the fight to take Doom down, and who better to join the fold than a Tony Stark from another dimension?

It might seem sacrilege right now to recast Tony Stark, especially with the franchise's founding filmic father returning to take on the role of Doom, but there's also an argument to be made as to why that's also a brilliant idea. What if the only way that our heroes can bring a variant of Tony Stark down is by having one of the last remaining ones help in the fight? Sure, Downey might've given us an iconic turn in the role, but what could Tony Stark look like if, say, Tom Cruise (who was the first choice for the role) finally stepped into an iron suit after all this time?

If not, and Marvel Studios thinks they still have a few more miles left in the tank for iron-plated adventures, cast someone younger to fill the spot, take over as the new head of Stark Industries, and see how they handle the job. Suits can be rebuilt, metal can be reused, and so can the master welder to get the job done.

We don't know if or how we'll address that Victor von Doom looks exactly like the man who saved the universe in "Avengers: Endgame," but we don't expect the man who's taken on both roles to stick around forever. If that's the case, then we think it might be a smart choice for another Doom to step in further down the line and cause just as much damage as he'll inevitably do here. Over the years, Doom has encountered numerous variants of himself (heck, one of them is even a Tyrannosaurus rex), so why can't the same happen here?

What if, following the fumbled plan of Kang (Jonathan Majors), variants turn up to cause trouble across the multiverse, and that job falls to the Dooms of all different realities? Also, given how big a villain Doom is, and the star playing him, what if Marvel Studios set a trend of mega A-listers appearing behind the mask every so often to cause repeated trouble every film or so?

We've no doubt that Downey will deliver behind that masked prison, but what if we see other big stars follow in his footsteps in later years? We could finally get fan-favorite picks like Cillian Murphy, Mads Mikkelsen (yeah, we know he's already been in the MCU, but that's hardly an issue anymore), or Ralph Fiennes. Doom is a villain of massive importance, and he deserves Hollywood legends of such stature to take on the gig. It's a big multiverse out there, after all.