Giancarlo Esposito may be most well-known right now for his role as Moff Gideon on The Mandalorian, but he’s been gracing the big and small screen since 1993’s Homicide: Life On The Street. And since he’s no stranger to superhero content or working with Disney, it seems an oversight that he hasn’t joined the MCU yet. From Breaking Bad to some goofy voice work on Axe Cop, the man has incredible range.
There are a lot of options on how best to utilize an actor of Esposito’s caliber. Marvel has had a major expansion in tone across their projects (whether that’s a bad thing depends on the viewer), which opens up several avenues for what he could do. Whether it’s as a brutal villain or a morally gray hero, or even purely comedic characters like Howard the Duck or the animated MODOK, Esposito’s intensity would be a welcome addition to the growing Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Brother Voodoo
With Doctor Strange fully established, and Black Knight and Blade now in the MCU thanks to the mid-credit scene in Eternals, Midnight Sons is looking more and more likely (though it may change spelling to Suns if the recent game is any indication). Best thought of as a Magic Avengers, this team tackles the supernatural threats to the universe, which would certainly be a breath of fresh air to a very sci-fi heavy world. And one of the biggest magical characters not yet included in the MCU is Jericho Drumm, aka Brother Voodoo. Drumm is a skilled Houngan, or voodoo priest, and can use a wide variety of abilities granted by his communion with the dead and various voodoo spirits. With powers ranging from necromancy to shapeshifting to pyrokinesis, a dark and strange character like this would well utilize Esposito’s chops and beef up the cool factor for an MCU that shows signs of stagnating.
Ghost Rider
If Drumm is off the table for Esposito (unlikely that he’d be out fully since his brother Daniel Drumm appeared in Doctor Strange), another logical inclusion to the Midnight Suns that he could dive into is Ghost Rider. Yes, there have been a few already, from the “original” Johnny Blaze to Robbie Reyes seen in Agents of Shield. But since the character is more a mantle worn by different people than a single individual (Ghost Rider is simply whoever the Spirit of Vengeance happens to be possessing at the moment), there are many iterations that haven’t yet been explored. And one of the more interesting ones is a Wild West Ghost Rider, Reno Jones. With multiverse and time travel shenanigans aplenty, it’s certainly possible for a cowboy to join the MCU, and it would be fascinating to see the accurate history of the wild west (i.e. most cowboys were POC) presented on such a large stage.
Silver Surfer
Esposito is great at portraying characters who are cold and disconnected even if not necessarily evil, and Norrin Radd, aka Silver Surfer fits the bill. Wielding the Power Cosmic, Silver Surfer sails through space acting as a herald for the planet-devouring Galactus. Even though his role is to find planets for his master to eat, he tries to find ones that are uninhabited or at least not populated by anything sentient, bringing an interesting depth and complexity to the character. Rumors that Disney+ will be airing a Silver Surfer series are all but confirmed, and Esposito would be able to bring much-needed pathos to a character that needs a careful approach to avoid becoming dull and wooden.
Doctor Doom
If Kevin Feige wanted to lean into Esposito’s tendency to play characters more directly villainous, there’s Doctor Doom. It’s hard to have the Fantastic Four or Secret Wars without him, so he’ll almost certainly be involved somewhere. Even though the comics have tried hard to make him relatable over the years, the fact is that Doom is one of the most brutal and calculating characters in the Marvel universe. And the savage ferocity Esposito brought to characters like Moff Gideon make him an excellent choice.
Bishop
The X-Men are slowly making their way into the MCU, with Xavier showing up in Multiverse of Madness and rumors that a certain mercenary with a penchant for breaking the fourth wall will officially join. As such, expect to see some of the more popular characters popping in. Hailing from a dystopian future, Bishop has the ability to absorb energy, and either utilize it to heal himself or project it back. With Cable already making an appearance in Deadpool 2, his partner in crime likely isn’t far behind. Tough as nails and with no sense of humor, Esposito could bring that extra touch that turns a somewhat bland 90s era character into something special.
Blue Marvel
One of Marvel’s most politically conscious characters, veteran and physicist Adam Brashear gained antimatter powers after being caught in a reactor malfunction. He has the ability to generate and manipulate antimatter at will, which is absurdly powerful. A single gram of the stuff contains more energy than the most powerful nuclear weapon, and there hasn’t been an upper limit shown to how much he can produce. Brashear used these newfound powers to help the innocent as Blue Marvel, but he was pressured by JFK to quit superheroing after it was revealed he was black. As evidenced by his role as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad, Esposito is used to playing characters that struggle with having power in a world that doesn’t like certain people having it.
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