We have envisioned a countless number of actors each as the multiple characters they would be an ideal candidate to play in the Marvel movies, but we have never given John Krasinski this same treatment until now. Honestly, the main reason that the former Office cast member has never been the topic of an installment of this recurring series of articles until now is that it is already pretty clear which Marvel Comics superhero he would be perfect to play based on how many die-hard fans have been demanding he be cast as this character in upcoming superhero movies for years. Well, said fantastic role is actually just one of the many characters I have in mind for the A Quiet Place Part II director, starting with one who has a few things in common with the actor’s current big TV role.
Maverick
I cannot imagine that anyone expected to see the man behind Jim Halpert from the Office cast become the latest actor to embody Tom Clancy’s most popular character, Jack Ryan, on Amazon Prime Video’s hit series, let alone being a sought-after action star, in general. John Krasinski’s new reputation and his experience portraying an American hero in the field of espionage convinces me that he could play Maverick: the current alias of the East Germany-born mercenary Christoph Nord, who has also gone by Agent Zero since the guilt over killing his double agent wife drove him to enter the Weapon X Program. His is a story that I believe would be interesting to cover when the X-Men get rebooted in the MCU, and it would be a unique challenge for Krasinski to embody a grieving widower as well as develop a convincing German accent.
Major Victory
Any MCU fan should know the story of how John Krasinski’s Captain America audition was cut short by the discouraging sight of Chris Hemsworth in his Thor costume. I think we are all thankful that Chris Evans was eventually cast as Steve Rogers, but I still like the idea of giving Krasinski a role similar to the star-spangled Avenger, and would have cited U.S. Agent as a potential name, if not for the Falcon and the Winter Soldier cast’s addition of Wyatt Russell as John Walker (another well-cast role). No worries, however, because I have a much cooler character in mind for Krasinski known as Major Victory - a psychokinetic space traveler and former Guardians of the Galaxy leader who, in many ways, could be considered the Captain America of Marvel’s cosmic line-up, and not just because he has wielded the same Shield at one point.
Wonder Man
Speaking of alternate comic book characters, the alter ego of Simon Williams sounds like the male counterpart to an Amazonian warrior princess played by Gal Gadot in the DC movies by name alone, but that could not be further from the truth. Actually, Wonder Man used to be an ordinary person of extraordinary wealth, until he was found guilty of embezzlement and, per the recommendation of one Baron Zemo, volunteered to participate in an experiment that made him one of the most powerful superhuman beings in the Marvel Universe. However, in addition to having abilities including flight, shapeshifting, and nearly anything else you could imagine, he also suffers from mental illness that has since made him a pacifist. This would be yet another acting challenge that John Krasinski, or any actor, would be proud to attempt in a comic book movie, as far as I am concerned.
Hyperion
Speaking of superheroes who sound like the Marvel Comics equivalent of famous DC Comics characters, that distinction is often given to Hyperion - a superhero (originally a villain) born on an alien planet with a debilitating vulnerability to “argonite radiation.” Well, I don’t know about you, but I think John Krasinski would have made a good Superman if not for Henry Cavill being the spitting image of Clark Kent, which is why I think casting him as a character often cited as his Marvel clone would be the next best thing and a great opportunity for him to flex his comedic skills again to help the MCU poke fun at Hyperion’s similarities to the Man of Steel. Of course, as you should already know, there is only one Marvel character we really want to see John Krasinski play.
Mister Fantastic
Long before it was announced that the MCU had a Fantastic Four reboot in the works, the top choice among most fans to play Reed Richards has been John Krasinski, and you can count me in that grouping. Not only does the actor look the part, but he has demonstrated the leadership qualities required to pull off the leader of Marvel’s first superhero family in A Quiet Place and in real life as a father of two children with Emily Blunt, whom many also want to see play Mister Fantastic’s wife, Invisible Woman. Given the British A Quiet Place Part II star’s recent comments about her current feeling toward superhero movies, that particular husband-wife pairing might not happen, but Krasinski has yet to say anything disparaging about the comic book movie genre, nor cast doubt on his flexibility to play the role millions are hoping to see him play.
You know, the CinemaBlend staff did a poll not too long ago to determine who we would most like to see cast in the new upcoming Fantastic Four movie and, not only did Emily Blunt lose out on the part of Invisible Woman to Samara Weaving, but Legion star Dan Stevens beat close runner-up John Krasinski as our choice for Mister Fantastic, overall. So, in other words, just because the majority may share one opinion of who should play who is a superhero, there is also going to be someone who has an alternate choice. That being said, is there another character from Marvel Comics whom you would much rather see Krasinski play in a superhero movie?
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