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Fulfilling decades-long dreams and after making the galaxy far, far away even more interesting, Giancarlo Esposito is officially joining the MCU. Going bonkers over the news is justified, but in all this excitement the biggest detail that erases every fan theory about who the actor will play in Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe is weirdly being overlooked.
Esposito rose to stardom after playing the gentle gangster Gus Fringe in the Breaking Bad series. Since then, he has been chosen to play the charismatically evil bad guy in other famous properties, including the Star Wars spinoff TV show The Mandalorian. However, he has been tentatively thinking about becoming a hero in another major franchise for a long time, with Marvel topping his wishlist.
In the past, Esposito has been fan-cast as Charles Xavier, the leader of the X-Men, when rumors of the mutants joining the MCU had just begun. He also seconded the choice but expressed his reluctance to play Professor X since it would mean his character would be stuck in a wheelchair most of the time. But since he is officially joining the franchise that has been flung wide open in terms of having multiple actors playing different versions of the same character, is Esposito appearing as Charles still on the cards?
Nope. In fact, during the recent CCXP panel (via Collider), where the actor revealed the major news and assured us that we can count on his appearance happening “sooner rather than late,” he also dropped the bigger bomb — he will be playing a “new” and “original” character, i.e, someone who will be created from scratch and not adapted from the comic books.
You would think that the pumped-up fandom would make it as far as reading every detail about his casting. Well, that didn’t happen as fans are still busy speculating about which comic book character he will be playing.
And of course, despite him stating why Professor X is not on the cards for him, the mutant leader is also in the mix.
Whew! By the looks of the ongoing chatter, the masses are not going to realize anytime soon that all of their theories are in vain. As for the idea of Esposito playing an original character in the MCU, it is intriguing, to say the least. So far, Marvel Studios has used comic book characters as inspiration for their cinematic universe, and even created a new hero – Kahhori, who appears in the Multiverse and low-stakes animated series What If…? Since the character proved to be a success, it sparks confidence that the MCU is ready to introduce new characters in live-action and do it well.
The question now is where Esposito will appear. One option is Deadpool & Wolverine. The movie is undergoing reshoots to include last-minute cameos, so one could be Esposito. It’s unlikely Marvel Studios would hire a star of his caliber to play a one-shot cameo, but Deadpool 3 could serve to introduce his original character.
Then again, the studio has already wasted exceptional actors in subpar roles before.
Next in the theatrical schedule of Marvel Studios comes Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts, which revolves around antiheroes falling into the U.S. service. Given Esposito’s knack for playing layered bad guys, he would fit into this new team like a glove. Of course, he can also pop up in Fantastic Four somehow, but since he claimed he’ll appear soon, it’s hard to imagine we would have to wait more than a full year to meet his “original” character.
Marvel Studios can also introduce Esposito into the MCU through its packed slate of TV shows. In 2024, unless some last-minute delays happen, we’ll supposedly get to watch Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, Eyes of Wakanda, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The WandaVision spin-off deals with the occult and paranormal entities, allowing Esposito to play a new demon or monster. The deeper dive into T’Challa’s homeland might have the actor voicing a major Wakandan warrior. Finally, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man takes place in an alternate timeline, which gives Marvel Studios plenty of freedom to try out new original characters without compromising the Sacred Timeline.
Having followed Esposito’s exceptional roles so far, there will be no qualms about him doing justice to his character, no matter whenever and wherever he pops up in the MCU.