There are several villains in the Marvel universe that tend to get overlooked quite often or are underappreciated in a big way. Flint Marko, aka William Baker, aka Sandman, is one of those that has proven to be a true danger to those he interacts with, but he one very glaring weakness that kind of undermines his ability to be taken seriously at all times. Being composed of sand since he was caught in an explosion that changed the molecular formation of his body, Flint can change his appearance, become a giant by absorbing great quantities of earth, sand, or other material, can form his hands into weapons, and can survive some fairly heavy blows. He can even survive a decapitating blow, but it causes him a great amount of trauma in the process. Thomas Haden Church had his chance in Spider-Man 3 to play this character and to be fair he didn’t do a bad job really, but the movie itself kind of misused Sandman in a way, much as it did with Venom and Green Goblin. While Church definitely made a good attempt at the character and did quite well, he was kind of overshadowed by the whole Venom/Spider-Man arc that took a couple of wrong turns throughout the movie and left people wondering just why he’d been put in there in the first place. A return to this villain might be in order finally if the right person can be found.
Here are a few actors that could probably take the role quite easily.
5. John Boyega
You’re looking at me funny right now, I can feel it. Why John Boyega? Well, one could say that it has something to do with the swaps that have been taking place in Hollywood lately, as in people of different color and genders taking on roles that were traditionally written in as people of the opposite race. But Boyega is also a convincing star that’s been on an upward trajectory even if he still needs a few more movies to really establish himself as someone that can move past his Star Wars performances, and this might a good path to travel to see just how convincing he can really be. Plus, it does feel that his range would be good enough to see him shine in the role.
4. Joel Kinnaman
It might feel like it would be a bid to snag him from DC, but to be fair a lot of people were wondering just what he was doing in Suicide Squad to begin with since his character didn’t make a lot of sense. Bringing him to the Marvel universe might be a way to see just how much of a range he really has and if he could coexist as a villain that has been known to take the virtuous path at times. Joel has skirted both sides of the line when it comes down to his characters being possessed of a single moral fiber or more, but in this case, walking that particular line would become a constant that the actor would need to straddle in order to make it work.
3. Channing Tatum
Yes, Channing Tatum was supposed to take on the part of Gambit in his own movie, but obviously that’s either still in development hell or it’s been scrapped for good, meaning he might as well still be given a chance to join the Marvel universe in another way. He’s had success playing guys that are down on their luck in the past, so the role of Flint Marko might not be too much of a stretch since Sandman is a guy that’s never been given much of a chance in life apart from being a powerful villain. It could even give the character a type of hero arc if the script was given that kind of angle to work with.
2. Oscar Isaac
Oscar did already join the Marvel family by accepting the role of Apocalypse, but to be fair the way he was rolled out to the fans wasn’t exactly that impressive. Not only did his character kind of fizzle out without really showing his full capabilities, but from what many comic book fans remember, Apocalypse was a serious threat to the X-Men that was dangerous because of his vast intellect, not always his brute strength and ability to plow forward in the face of a force that might actually hurt him. In taking this role Oscar might be able to take on a role that might allow him to really show what he can do with a villain, rather than make flowery speeches and become a less than ineffective big bad.
1. Tom Hardy
At this point, it feels like Tom Hardy can do just about anything since he’s taken on so many different roles that depict him as a physical character, and a few that have made him appear as a less than imposing character. In this instance however, it does feel that he might be able to embody Sandman in a manner that would make him even more impressive and possibly allow the villain to gain a reputation in the movies that’s well deserved.
Thomas Haden Church did a good job, but the rest of the movie kind of drowned out his best efforts. John Boyega
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