After Jared Leto's Latest Marvel Rumors, Here Are Four Characters I'd Love To See Him Play, And Three I Would Actively Protest Against

Though it'll be a cold day in comic book hell when Marvel fans can finally forget the morb-strosity that was Daniel Espinosa's 2022 flop Morbius, Jared Leto's performance wasn't the worst thing about it, and his efforts were certainly more reined in than they were during his tatted-up Joker era for DC. Now, the House of Gucci vet is reportedly being eyed for another comic-centric Marvel role, which opens a can of speculatory worms.

As fans wait to see how Leto fares in the Disney sequel Tron: Ares and as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe, we can now wonder how much trust to put into the report shared by industry insider MyTimeToShineHello that claims Jared Leto is "in talks" for a Marvel role that specifically is "not Ghost Rider." Which is fine, since I don't really want to see Leto as a biker with a burning skull. Instead, here are some Marvel characters I'd love to see the Fight Club vet portray in an upcoming Marvel TV show or future MCU film, along with a trio of roles that should never become a reality.

Would Love: Deathlok

As it goes with comic books, multiple iterations of Deathlok have surfaced over the years, but the core origin hook created by Rich Buckler needs no big alterations: he's a former U.S. soldier who was killed in combat and resurrected years later as a powerful cyborg complete with an A.I.-esque computer.

Leto has alread played a character who lives well beyond his means in Mr. Nobody, and portrayed a tech genius in Blade Runner 2049, which is basically boot camp for playing Deathlok. I like the idea of the actor going all hyper-brilliant Universal Soldier on the MCU.

Would Protest: Any Kind Of Revamped Take On Kang

The behind-the-scenes legal issues involving Kang portrayer Jonathan Majors combined as an unforeseen hindrance for plans to fully spin that character out into the multiversal villain of lore, and rumors about Majors’ return are still bandied about. While I don’t see the Lovecraft Country character ever reprising the role in full after Loki Season 2, it wouldn’t surprise me if Kevin Feige & Co. went the “recast and rewrite” route.

And while I might not have hated the idea of Jared Leto as a time-jaunting conqueror from the outset, the thought of him taking over the role in mid-stride just makes me want to get drunk in the Quantum Realm. (Because of the tiny hangovers.)

Would Love: Sleepwalker

One of the most '90s superhero characters to applicably emerge form the 1990s comic scene, Bob Budiansky and Bret Blevins' dream-centric alien Sleepwalker isn't necessarily a go-to choice for an MCU good guy, but the horror fan in me definitely wishes he could bring his fear-inducing heroism to live-action adventures. Though I'm obviously envisioning a character aged beyond the college-bound alter ego Rick Sheridan for Leto, who can easily play this brand of dark weirdo with ease.

Considering the character's ties to Moon Knight, I think the ideal Sleepwalker pitch would be a Disney+ series that weaves dreams and waking life together in a manner similar to FX's non-MCU Marvel series Legion. Or, if this project happened to exist without Leto in the main role, he could play Nightmare instead.

Would Protest: The REAL Victor Von Doom

We all know Marvel sometimes likes to play switcheroo with its comic characters' true identities, leading to situations like Iron Man 3's Mandarin twist, which Kevin Feige still stands by. So part of my expectations for the Russo brothers' Avengers: Doomsday are tied to the idea that returning MCU vet Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Doctor Doom will be subverted and flipped around in one way or another.

While there are ways to make that approach interesting and meaningful, what I really don't want to see is Jared Leto revealed to be a backstage puppetmaster with the ability to morph his look into anyone else's visage, with Tony Stark being one of his transformations. And I really don't want the soundtrack to be blaring Thirty Seconds To Mars' "A Beautiful Lie" when and if that scene ever happens.

Would Love: Blackheart

After all the times Blackheart came up during Agatha All Along's speculation conversations, only for Aubrey Plaza's character to be revealed as someone entirely different, I think Marvel fans are due a live-action take on the demonic hellspawn, and I weirdly think Jared Leto would be an interesting fit to play someone straight from Hell like this.

Plus, I think we can all agree that it would be fantastic to get Blackheart into the MCU, because Mephisto. The evil entity's long-awaited arrivial is supposed to be happening with Ironheart, which is hitting the 2025 TV schedule in June, with Sasha Baron Cohen allegedly cast as the demon. But if that doesn't actually happen, then maybe Jared Leto's Blackheart was the piece we were missing all this time.

Would Protest: Magneto

With X-Men '97 winning over both old school fans and younger generations alike, anticipation is as high as ever for the X-Men's eventual MCU movie, which is still in the early developmental phases. And with the new batch of mutants will come a new round of casting decisions, both for the heroes and for whatever villains are utilized.

I can't imagine an X-Men feature without Magneto's presence being accounted for, though it will be extremely hard to top Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender's respective performances from the Fox franchise. And while Leto is technically old enough and established enough to serve in an elder statesman role for a project like this, I do not want to see Magneto floating in the air with "Repellant" and "Attractive" tattooed on his face. There are others in this world, though...

Would Love: Fantomex

I like Jared Leto when he's playing characters who are scrappy and unpredictable, with or without a streak of menace. And if we're talking X-Men characters, I think the actor would be a perfect fit for the live-action debut of Fantomex. While not the most namechecked Marvel character, the Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey creation is a fast-healing, reality-warping marksman whose body courses with nanotech.

I'm not sure why I have an eagerness to see the Requiem for a Dream vet to portray a character whose humanity is enmeshed with biotechnology, but I think he's a great fit for that kind of role when he's not playing someone vulnerable. And he so rarely gets to portray anyone that operates solely on confidence and badassery. I don't readily assume that the MCU will tackle the Weapon Plus Program at the same time Charles Xaviers' students are brought into the fold. But maybe one day...