In addition to A-listers like Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, and, of course, Tom Cruise, the Top Gun: Maverick cast also had its fair share of breakout stars, such as Glen Powell. Yet, it should be noted that the actor — who played Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the film — had already been leading a relatively impressive career by that point, from his collaborations with director Richard Linklater (including Everybody Wants Some!!) to a role in The Expendables 3, and even a part in the Best Picture Oscar nominee, Hidden Figures. However, after you star in a box office hit like the long-awaited Top Gun sequel, we cannot help but express our curiosity over if and when we will see your face on the poster for any upcoming Marvel movies.
This actually would not be his first comic book adaptation, having previously earned a small role as “Trader #1” in one of the live-action Batman movies, The Dark Knight Rises, from 2012. However, it would be his first time playing an established comic book character, which is something a few of his Maverick co-stars have already done, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier cast member Danny Ramirez, as well as his Devotion co-star, Jonathan Majors, who made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as a variation of Kang the Conqueror on Loki. We would love to see the actor follow in his colleagues’ footsteps and, if so, the following are a few Marvel characters we had in mind.
Cyclops
Some of this work has already been done for us, we will admit. Rumors began to swirl in the summer of 2022 that Powell might be up for the role of Scott Summers, who is better known as Cyclops for the laser beams that constantly emit from his eyes when not put under control. In fact, he is one of many actors who have been linked to Marvel Studios’ long-awaited X-Men movies reboot without any confirmed announcements to back up the connection.
While the actor has dispelled the rumors himself, I kind of hope this is one of those situations like when Andrew Garfield had to repeatedly deny his involvement with Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is clear why this rumor was started, and it is because Powell would make a fantastic Cyclops. The fact that his resemblance to the character in his original comic book form is a closer match than either James Marsden or Tye Sheridan is just one of many reasons.
Nova
Cyclops is, actually, not the only Marvel character whom Glen Powell has been linked to as of late. Actually, ScreenRant dedicated an entire article to explaining why the actor would be the perfect choice to play Nova — a fan-favorite cosmic hero who never made it into James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies and, as it turns out, for good reason: the writer/director wanted Chris Pratt’s Peter “Star-Lord” Quill to be the sole human member of the titular crew of heroes.
Well, whenever the lone, intergalactic vigilante otherwise known as Richard Rider finally makes his MCU debut, we agree that Powell would be a good fit and for the same reasons that ScreenRant gives. For instance, as Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick, he invoked a certain sarcastic sense of humor that would prove charming and also has an experience near the film’s ending with tragedy, which is something that Nova knows all too well, being the sole survivor of the Nova Corps.
Doctor Spectrum
Marvel characters like Cyclops and Nova are not the only comic book heroes whom Powell has been linked to as of late. According to Cosmic Book News, it appears that the actor’s Maverick director, Joseph Kosinski, has been rumored to be helming a new Green Lantern movie and that he would be bringing in Powell as his Hal Jordan.
I, for one, have very little doubt in this as a possibility, but do like the idea and figured, if not the Green Lantern in any upcoming DC movies, why not his Marvel Comics equivalent, Doctor Spectrum. This space cop, who uses a magical stone called the Power Prism that converts light into special abilities to fight evil, sounds like a fun addition to the MCU’s cosmic line-up.
Human Torch
Top Gun: Maverick is only one of two movies released in 2022 that star Powell as a pilot for the Navy. He and Jonathan Majors lead the cast of Devotion as two of the most famous fighter pilots to ever fly for the U.S. — Thomas Hudner and Jesse Brown, respectively. All this time flying in movies has me convinced that the actor should play a Marvel Comics character who is also well-versed in flying… with or without the use of a plane.
I am, of course, talking about NASA pilot Johnny Storm, who is better known as the Human Torch for his ability to emit fire at will, in addition to self-propelled flight. This opportunity is still very possible at the moment, with director Matt Shakman’s Fantastic Four movie reboot still uncast (as far as we know) and set to release roughly three years from now.
Mojo
Let’s divert from Powell’s roles as a pilot in 2022 and talk about another very important role: his first. In 2003, he made his feature film debut in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over — which was shot almost entirely on green screen — as a kid in charge of running a level inside the eponymous video game that involves robots fighting in an arena. Learning this fact while researching the actor’s career gave me the idea to cast him as a Marvel character who literally lives for barbaric arena games.
Created by writer Ann Nocenti as a send-up of TV executives, Mojo is a bizarre-looking, partially mechanical being who is so fascinated by television that he sets up an entire civilization based on the modern TV ratings system in his own dimension called the “Mojoworld.” If the rumors suggesting Powell is joining the MCU as Cyclops end up not proving true like he claims, why not give him the role that no one would expect and cast him as an X-Men villain who deserves to be adapted one day, instead?
If there are no Marvel movies, Marvel TV shows, or even DC movies in Glen Powell’s future, there is still some hope for his contribution to the superhero movie genre. Back in 2016, it was announced that he was writing a Captain Planet movie with Jono Matt. Updates on the project have been scarce since, but hopefully it will become a reality as long as the power is his.
