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Of all the reasons why A Quiet Place Part 2 has been heralded as the rare kind of sequel to a hit horror franchise that is as good - if not better - than its predecessor, I believe the most essential and important reason is writer and director John Krasinski’s choice to make Millicent Simmonds the lead of the story.
The sight of a young, deaf actress headlining a blockbuster franchise has marked yet another rarity in Hollywood, and could open doors for more performers with disabilities to earn themselves a place on the A-list. Well, these days, there is no better and faster way to reach such heights than getting cast in Marvel and DC movies, and I have a few characters ripped straight from the comics in mind for the 18-year-old rising star, such as one the actress can relate to on a distinct level.
Sapheara (Marvel)
Because Millicent Simmonds is a strong, vocal advocate for giving deaf actors the opportunity to play deaf roles, I wanted to make sure I could find her superheroes to play who share her disability, which was challenging, because there are not too many deaf, female comic book characters. As an example to better emphasize the issue, deaf Sound of Metal star Lauren Ridloff’s role in the Eternals cast, the super fast Makkari, was originally created as a man in the comics.
Luckily, there is a Marvel character who could not be a more perfect choice for the actress: Samantha Farrell, otherwise known as Sapheara. This young hero, the daughter of a movie star, gained light-based powers after touching a magic crystal while she was touring Stark Industries. She was also born deaf, but uses a cochlear implant to hear better, just like Millicent Simmonds does in real life.
Dolphin (DC)
It was even more of a challenge finding a DC superhero who is both deaf and female, though expanding the search to characters who do not speak orally helped. Then, I had to make sure that whichever female character I found had not already been cast in any superhero movies (i.e. Cassandra Cain - portrayed a bit differently from the source material in Birds of Prey by Ella Jay Basco). Thus, I was happy to come across the Prime Earth iteration of Dolphin - which is, indeed, her real name.
This young, Atlantean mutant is unable to speak for unknown reasons, but does amazing things with light energy, ranging from causing blindness to projecting concussive blasts and has razor sharp webbed hands that can slice through Atlantean armor and make her an excellent swimmer. As one of the newest members of the Aquaman family, it has long been rumored that Dolphin could be introduced in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - James Wan’s highly anticipated sequel. If the rumors are true, I pray Millicent Simmonds is at least considered for it.
Saturn Girl (DC)
There's another young female superhero originating from DC Comics whom I also think would be a good fit for Millicent Simmonds. However, unlike Dolphin, this character has her own special and efficient way of communicating with her peers, when possible, that is.
Saturn Girl, the alter ego of Imra Ardeen, is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, which is a team of powerful crime fighters who are all below their adult years and come from different timelines in the DC Multiverse. While she does not speak, she communicates with fellow members of the Legion with her telepathic abilities, which all citizens of the her home - the Saturn moon called Titan - are born with. Thankfully, this lends to her reputation as a strong leader, which is also something Millicent Simmonds has demonstrated extremely well in the A Quiet Place movies with her portrayal of the resilient Regan Abbott.
Omen (DC)
There's actually another young, female, telepathic superhero originating from DC Comics whom I also think would be a good fit for Millicent Simmonds. However, unlike Dolphin or Saturn Girl, this character is not deaf nor unable to speak orally, but I thought that it would be unfair to tie down the actress’ options to those two categories. Opening it up to more characters who can express themselves non-verbally, like telepaths, felt like an appropriate and fun direction to go.
This led me to Lilith Clay - referred to as Omen by her teammates on the Teen Titans, which she rejoined after breaking free of Harvest’s control as an agent of torture for N.O.W.H.E.R.E. In addition to reading other’s thoughts and projecting her thoughts to others, Omen is also a powerful telekinetic capable of creating psionic blasts and shields and an empath who can feel and detect the emotional state of anyone she chooses. With a dark backstory and threateningly powerful psychokinetic abilities, this Titan requires a threateningly powerful performer like Millicent Simmonds.
Elsa Bloodstone (Marvel)
Speaking of threatening and powerful, Millicent Simmonds has already earned a reputation as a winning action hero for her successful fight against the sound-hunting aliens in A Quiet Place and its sequel. A Marvel character who also specializes in fighting otherworldly creatures is Elsa Bloodstone, for whom monster hunting runs in the family. Now, those familiar with the British badass may recognize that she is neither deaf, nor non-speaking, nor even telepathic, but Simmonds portrayal of the character could be both fitting and refreshingly unique.
At one point, Elsa Bloodstone forms an alliance with Deadpool, who is famous for never, ever shutting up, much to the chagrin of most Marvel heroes and villains alike. For that reason, I believe that Ryan Reynolds’ take on the Merc with a Mouth would make a great on-screen partner to Millicent Simmonds as Elsa, who would not be doing as much talking. Not to mention, a role in Deadpool 3 would give the actress an ample opportunity to flex her comedy skills.
One day, I hope to see Millicent Simmonds play a superhero, and whether that means she joins the MCU in one of many Marvel movies, or the DCEU, makes no difference. However, if you do have a preference, which character would you pick for the A Quiet Place star?
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