If there is a franchise that has some of the greatest castings in cinema, it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It seems to have nothing but great castings by the incredibleSarah Halley Finnand has provided some of the best superhero film performances of all time. It feels pretty unlikely for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have a truly bad casting, but it’s not impossible, as there are a very select few that were not too great.
A bad casting in the MCU is more complex than in other franchises.The actors they hire are incredibly talented but they are simply miscast or didn’t give a particularly believable performance; that doesn’t make them bad performers, it just means they are out of their element. There is absolutely nothing against the actors in these roles, but it’s undeniable that they were far from the right choice.These are the worst castings in the MCU, ranked by how little they fit their respective role and how disappointing their performances ultimately were.
10Flash Thompson
Played by Tony Revolori
Anyone aware of theSpider-Manmythos knows that Flash Thompson is typically a jock andbully to Peter Parker, making his high school life way harder than it needs to be. So, when the world was introduced to Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) life inSpider-Man: Homecoming, the Marvel Cinematic Universe iteration of Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) seemed pretty out of place. Only ever poking fun at Pete in a joking manner that doesn’t do much to affect him in the slightest. Sure, it makes him mad, but the young hero doesn’t care much, with far bigger things to worry about.
Tony Revolori is a wonderful performer, especially if one checks out other films he’s in, likeDopeandThe Grand Budapest Hotel. Buthis casting as Flash Thompson just didn’t make sense, and the weak writing certainly didn’t do him any favors. All around, Flash was played and writtenless like a bully and more like an annoying classmateof Peter’s. It’s a valid approach; it’s just not who Flash Thompson is for many fans. However, maybe there’s a chance that he’ll make a comeback inSpider-Man 4and transform a bit.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
9Cassie Lang (‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’)
Played by Kathryn Newton
The character of Cassie Lang has been through a good couple of castings in the MCU, with the child version in the first two Ant-Man movies being the best. The most recent iteration, which seesKathryn Newtonin the role duringAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is less than ideal. While Newton is a great performer and brings her talents to the thirdAnt-Manfilm, there are other factors that add to this being a poor casting choice.
Newton replaced Emma Fuhrmann, which confused fans who really enjoyed her performance inAvengers: Endgame. When she finally debuted inQuantumania, many struggled to get behind her casting. Newton’s performance wasn’t terrible — in fact, she’s quite engaging, all things considered. However, the reason and intention behind her casting didn’t sit well with fans. Newton is a painfully obvious case of star casting, butshe wasn’t unique enough in the role to justify the recastin the first place.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Played by Jude Law
It’s hard not to enjoya good Jude Law performance. He’s a phenomenal, Oscar-nominated actor who has brought great performances to films likeThe Talented Mr. Ripleyand will be appearing in upcoming projects likeStar Wars: Skeleton Crew. But when it comes to his casting inCaptain Marvelas the villain Yon-Rogg, there were some things left to be desired. They tried to sell some sort of mystery of whether he was a villain or not, but the script completely failed him.
Yon-Rogg’s status as a villain was supposed to be more of a secret than the film lets it be. However, Law’s mere casting and his performance made it quite obvious that the character was up to no good.Captain Marvelis already as formulaic a superhero movie as they come, andLaw’s performance didn’t really sell what the character was supposed to be. Whether this was a fault on Law or directorsAnna BodenandRyan Fleck, the execution of the character was less than desirable. A less recognizable and more subtle performer would’ve been a better choice.
Captain Marvel
7Hope van Dyne
Played by Evangeline Lilly
Ant-Manintroduced a more abrasive version of Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). However, fans of the Marvel universe know the character of the Wasp overall as a more lighthearted character who simply strives to do good. While Hope van Dyne is more of an original character to the MCU and not the comic book version of the Wasp, she still deviates from what the character is most famous for. Wasp is a very beloved character from the Marvel mythos and has always been an important, key player in the Avengers roster. Whether she’s Janet van Dyne or Hope.
Lilly simply doesn’t play the character with much, well, hope. Instead, she opts fora more confrontational and bleak version that just feels a bit wrong. Part of this issue can be blamed on writing and directing, but Lilly just didn’t feel like the right choice for the Wasp, especially in a film as silly asAnt-Man. More could have been done to help her a better fit with the character’s heart and soul, but she simply didn’t bring it. One could even argue that Wasp could easily have been a member of the Avengers (like she was in the comics and other media likeAvengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes) if she was handled better and, therefore, received more positively.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
6Betty Ross
Played by Liv Tyler
Fun fact:The Incredible Hulkis the only Marvel Cinematic Universe film that was not cast by Sarah Halley Finn, and it shows. When it came to casting Hulk’s (Edward Norton) love interest inThe Incredible Hulk, Marvel opted forLiv Tyler, a great actress who often struggles to find roles that live up to her talents. Unfortunately,Tyler didn’t seem very invested in the role of Betty. She is great in theLord of the Ringsfranchise andArmageddon, but she looked out of place inThe Incredible Hulk, especially considering Betty gets nothing to do in the plot other than serve as Bruce’s last tie to his humanity.
Tyler and Edward Norton had pretty much no chemistry on screen, ruining the believability of the relationship and taking down some of the compelling aspects of the film. Poor chemistry can’t really be blamed on anyone (unless the lack of it is due to some sort of drama), but it can’t be denied that, potentially with another actor, the chemistry may have been better. She is making a comeback inCaptain America: Brave New World, so fans can only hope that she’ll get the chance to redeem her character and make her a more compelling player. If given better material, maybe Tyler will be more invested and give a bit more to the character.
The Incredible Hulk
William Jackson Harper
While not as famous as the other actors,William Jackson Harperis one of the more talented actors inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Gaining popularity from his wonderful work onThe Good PlaceandMidsommar, Harper became quite popular on the internet, and people were excited to finally see him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Who was he going to play? Was he going to have an impact on the greater MCU? Could he have been a character set up to become bigger later on? All are questions that fans had walking intoAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Fans across the internet theorized that he could potentiallybe playing the leader of The Fantastic Four, Reed Richards. Unfortunately, though, William Jackson Harper ended up playing Quaz, a pretty inconsequential character who’s likely a one-and-done.This is a bad casting purely because it’s a gigantic waste of an incredible actorwho fans believed would be great for a key figure in the future of the MCU. One can only hope that Quaz will make a comeback of some sort later down the line.
4Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Played by Edward Norton
The discussion surrounding whether Edward Norton orMark Ruffalois the superior Hulk has been swirling around the internet since Ruffalo was announced forMarvel’s The Avengers. At the end of the day, Norton lost his position for a reason, and it was a pretty good one. Whether audiences and fans agree with the departure or not, it can’t be denied that this casting simply didn’t work out for both Marvel Studios and Norton.
Norton was a poor casting choice on Marvel Studios' part because of how off he looks in the world of superheroes. There’s a quality to his performance inThe Incredible Hulkthat makes it seemas though he is uncomfortable with the material. As mentioned previously, Norton had zero chemistry with Liv Tyler and, to make matters worse, looked out of place trying to fit into the larger Marvel universe. His want for creative control and hisheadbutting with Marvel Studiosjust made it not a great match. There is a large group of fans who are very unhappy with this change in casting and while Norton was beloved by many, it doesn’t change the conflict that erupted and what he did to become so hard to work with.
3Kaecilius
Played by Mads Mikkelsen
If there’s an underrated Marvel Cinematic Universe film, it’sDoctor Strange, but the weakest part is its villain. Mads Mikkelsen is another unfortunate case of an incredible actor who was wasted on a part that simply didn’t work for them and their talents. Mikkelsen is a titan in the industry, and it sucked to see him in a role that was such a nothing entry into his career. So much so that many fans hope he would simply be recasted as a variant of Doctor Doom in a future film, although it’s unlikely.
Thankfully,Mikkelsen claimedDoctor Strangeis some of the most fun he’s had on a film set, but his enjoyment didn’t come through in the final product. Indeed, Mikkelsen looks bored in every scene he’s in, perhaps because he was most likely interacting with a green screen. Whether his performance was left on the cutting room floor or it was just a case of poor direction,Mikkelsen didn’t feel like he was necessarily fit for the role. It doesn’t help that Kaecilius is such a nothing role, but Mikkelsen has elevated similar thinly written roles in movies likeFantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore; none of his trademark devilish charm is present inDoctor Strange.
Doctor Strange
Played by Christopher Eccleston
Oh, to be a seasoned, talented and veteran actor who was cast in none other thanThor: The Dark World, often considered one of, if not the worst, Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. PoorChristopher Ecclestongot the short end of the stick when cast as the main villain. His performance is bland and lifeless and not to the full fault of Eccleston, as he is fully covered up, making him essentially invisible. Many audience members couldn’t help but ask the question of why they would go through the effort of casting an actor with such prowess like Eccleston, when he’d become unrecognizable.
Maybe Eccleston could tell there was not much on paper for the character and decided to give only his bare minimum or the performance was destroyed in post-production. The fact remains, there’s nothing of Eccleston in Malekith, to the point where, unless one was directly told, it’d be pretty impossible to tell it’s the actor under the makeup. Malekith is easily one of the worstvillains of all time and a wasteful use of Christopher Eccleston’s talents.
Thor: The Dark World
1The Ancient One
Played by Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swintonis wonderfully talented and actually plays the role of The Ancient One quite well. What makes this a bad casting is the fact that The Ancient One is actually of Tibetan nationality, makingthe casting of Swinton a total whitewash of the character, especially when it was officially confirmed that The Ancient One in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Celtic.
Swinton is compelling and believable in every way and actually provides one of the best performances inDoctor Strange. Still, the whitewashing of the character cannot go unmentioned and remains a major fumble on Marvel Studios' part. It was so rough that the head honcho at Marvel Studios,Kevin Feige, stated he regretted the decisionto whitewash the character. It’s a shame this controversy stained Swinton’s otherwise great performance.
