As one of Hollywood’s creepiest and yet somehow still most awesome talents that rarely ever gets the attention he deserves, Mads Mikkelsen was one of the few that could have possibly played the part of Hannibal Lecter even a fraction as well as Anthony Hopkins ever could, but when the show was over and done with he had to have somewhere else to go, and if you take a look at his filmography he definitely landed in a few decent roles. Taking into account that Hannibal ended in 2015 he’s had time to move on to other projects, and he’s done just that since he’s been in no less than six movies, one short film, and is currently involved with two other movies, one that’s filming, or was at least, and one that’s in post-production. To say that he’s a busy guy is pretty accurate and to state that he plays a very convincing bad guy is also just as accurate since as a good guy he tends to be pretty intense. One good example of this is in King Arthur, a movie that’s apparently based upon historical legend, though as historians would say it’s just one theory of the King Arthur fable. He plays a knight named Tristan and he’s quite a bit different than the others in Arthur’s court since he’s incredibly stoic and not nearly as gregarious as the others. But somehow in the group he finds himself it works, as he’s a valued member of the group and a deadly warrior at that.
Post-Hannibal though he’s still been something of a badass even if he hasn’t always had the chance to be a fighter. His role as Kaecilius in Doctor Strange was pretty cool since the reality-warping and combat scenes were a lot of fun, though one has to wonder just how Strange would be an experienced and powerful magic-user when he was still a novice at best. The thing about Kaecilius however was that he was operating on a lot of emotion and not enough reason it felt, fueling himself with the intense need to overcome the teachings of the Ancient One in an attempt to merge with the god he was seeking to commune with. Of course that proved to be kind of a bad idea near the end when Dormammu recalled his zealots, including Kaecilius, and simply pulled them from their own world to his. In a long list of roles he’s played, Kaecilius was just one more villain that ended up being killed after exhibiting his own hubris and lack of full comprehension. One would think that those working with magic would be a little more weary of just what kind of effects might take place if certain tenets aren’t followed, but of course in the movies the bad guy usually doesn’t have every base covered, even when they think they do.
Another great role, despite being so short, was Galen Erso, the mastermind behind the creation of the Death Star in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It’s pretty easy to think that a lot of people really don’t care who thought up the whole Death Star plan, but it was a bit obvious that while Emperor Palpatine might have conceived it, or at least approved of it, he didn’t have the technical know-how to make it work. Smart and cunning as he was, Palpatine’s mind was one that was bent on domination and the overall manipulation of a system that brought him vast and terrible power, not the technical details that were necessary to consider just how such a thing as the Death Star would be created. Galen Erso was the father of Jynn Erso, who would later use his work to help the Rebels gain a much-needed edge against the Empire that would help them to blow up the first Death Star. His part was small but it was meaningful and it allowed him to become a part of the Star Wars franchise along with everyone else on the cast. One has to wonder if he’s going to gain any mention in the upcoming Cassian Andor series, or if his part will begin and end with Rogue One. It would be kind of interesting if his character gained some mention considering that Galen was operating in the time that the Rebellion was still working to gain some traction against the Empire.
All in all Mads is the kind of guy that’s entirely reliable when it comes to various roles, though as a villain or an intense good guy he’s definitely extremely effective. One thing that’s been noticed however is that in more than a couple of movies there’s usually something being done to one if not both of his eyes, which has been noticed by quite a few people. It’s not something that happens all the time, but it’s been enough to make people wonder if it’s his idea or someone else’s.
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