CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.
Actress and model Madison Pettis recently starred in one of the biggest movies of her career as part of the He’s All That cast in the gender-swapped update of She’s All That (a modernized update of My Fair Lady from 1999). While the Netflix original was not her first romantic comedy, the 23-year-old Texas native has already explored various genres like sci-fi, horror, and even animated Dr. Seuss movies, but superhero movies are something she still has yet to experience. Considering she is already in good standing with Disney, I would not be surprised if the Marvel movies were in her future, which is why I thought of characters she might be a good fit for and compiled them into the list below, starting with a mutant whose cinematic return is much anticipated.
Rogue
In the same way that Henry Cavill could never replace Christopher Reeve’s Superman, or Robert Pattinson’s Batman will be remembered differently from Michael Keaton, there will never be another Rogue like the version of the character Academy Award winner Anna Paquin played. However, one reason I am looking forward to Marvel Studios’ X-Men movies reboot is to see what new interpretation it has in store for the young heroine. I just hope it is a bit more faithful to the source material.
Indeed, Anna Marie LeBeau (which her last name became following her marriage to Remy “Gambit” LeBeau) is not some shy, insecure teenager like the X-Men movies portrayed her, but a spunky, thrill-seeking Southern belle. If anybody has what it takes to finally bring this persona out of the energy-absorbing mutant on the big screen it is Madison Pettis, who has specialized in playing young, somewhat angsty go-getters with a take-no-crap attitude for years, like on Facebook Watch’s Five Points, in American Pie: Girls’ Rules, and even in her 2007 feature film debut, The Game Plan, opposite Dwayne Johnson.
Dead Girl
Another one of Madison Pettis’ earliest roles was a 2008 adaptation of Mostly Ghostly - another child-friendly book Goosebumps and Fear Street author R.L. Stine. In the movie, she plays the spirit of a young girl who befriends a living boy who helps her and her brother figure solve their deaths. She would reprise this character in a sequel made six years later, but if she wanted to play this sort of role a third time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be the key.
Aspiring actress Moonbeam would come to be known as Dead Girl after her latent mutant powers (including immortality, regrowing severed limbs, communicating with the deceased, and other ghostly features) were activated after her murder. There are a couple different ways the MCU could introduce this “spirited” superhero, such as a team-up with Doctor Strange or with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool as a revamped X-Force member. Either way, it would give Madison Pettis a great opportunity for a more mature embrace of her Scream Queen potential and for Marvel to further embrace the horror genre.
Shiklah
Speaking of upcoming horror movies, it looks like scarier stories are about to become more common in the MCU, with Evil Dead movies creator Sam Raimi helming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and a Blade reboot with Mahershala Ali in the works. I actually have a pretty fun idea for how Madison Pettis could star alongside the Oscar winner when he plays the badass vampire hunter.
Madison Pettis actually has been in the process of embracing her Scream Queen potential by landing a role in the upcoming technophobic thriller Margaux, in which she will fall prey to a house controlled by a malevolent AI. However, her role in He’s All That convinces me that she deserves a more sinister role, such as Shiklah - a powerful and alluring succubus who would become Dracula’s bride. The role would also be another great way for the actress to work with Ryan Reynolds, because Shiklah’s husband before the legendary vampire, was Deadpool, of all people.
Hepzibah
I mentioned earlier that Madison Pettis is already in good standing with Disney, and not just from playing Dwayne Johnson’s daughter in The Game Plan. She also had starring roles in multiple Disney Channel original series, such as Cory in the House and the animated Captain Jake and the Neverland Pirates, on which she voiced a young swashbuckler named Izzy. The MCU could also be her key to revisit that kind of role, but beyond the Seven Seas.
Instead of your typical sailing pirate it would make more sense to see Madison Pettis play a space pirate in a Marvel movie instead, such as Hepizibah. The skilled alien (who comes from a race of skunk-like creatures called Mephistisoids) is a member of the crew of intergalactic travelers called the Starjammers, whose MCU debut has also been in high demand by comic book readers. However, she has fought alongside the X-Men, too, in case Kevin Feige and co. needed another reason to bring her in.
Tigra
Another Disney Channel original series starring Madison Pettis was The Lion Guard - a spin-off of the animated 1994 classic The Lion King, on which she played a young lioness named Zuri. While female characters associated with the jungle’s natural king are actually in short supply in Marvel Comics, there is one with a strong connection to another breed of wild, cat-like beasts.
Greer Nelson was a model-turned lab assistant who later became an Avenger after a near death experience led to her being brought back to life with a new look and an impressive new arsenal of abilities similar to that of a tiger. Thus, she became a superhero and adopted the aptly chosen alias, Tigra. There actually were plans for a Hulu original animated series that would pair the feline-esque heroine with X-Men member Dazzle, and if that idea ever gets revived, it sounds like the perfect time to call Madison Pettis.
I actually think that there are plenty of other characters from all across the Marvel Multiverse whom someone with Madison Pettis’ range and years of experience would be a wonderful choice to play. On the other hand, it would also be fun to see her in the DC movies reuniting with Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam. However, if you think there is a better chance of seeing the actress landing a role in the MCU, which character do you think she is right for?
This poll is no longer available.
