10 Actors Who Would Be Perfect For The MCU’s Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom‘s debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be on the way, and there are some great options available to take on the role. For more than a decade, the MCU has had to go on without some of its most popular heroes and villains due to their movie rights having been tied up at another studio. That has since changed, with Disney buying 20th Century Fox, which gave the Fantastic Four and the X-Men back to Marvel Studios. With the Fantastic Four movie releasing in 2025 and Doctor Doom having appeared in every movie of the team pre-MCU, the villain could be making his debut soon.

While the upcoming Fantastic Four movie is reason enough to believe that Marvel Studios is looking to cast Doctor Doom, a new report has made that even more likely. According to a bombshell report from Variety, Marvel almost replaced Kang with Doctor Doom after Jonathan Majors’ arrest. If Marvel were to move on from Kang the Conqueror and his variants, then using Doom would make sense, as the character is one of the most popular comic book villains of all time, and he was key to the 2015 Secret Wars event from Marvel Comics that inspires Avengers: Secret Wars. Here are 10 actors who could play the MCU’s Doctor Doom.

Related: Everything We Know About Marvel’s Fantastic Four Reboot

10 Penn Badgley Can Play A Charming And Vicious Doom

Known For: You, Gossip Girl, Easy A, And More

Penn Badgley would be a major get to play Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and future MCU movies. The actor is one of the leading fancasts to play Reed Richards, and while that would definitely work, Badgley could be even better as Doctor Doom. The actor’s popularity skyrocketed with his magnetic turn as the serial killer Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s You. Despite being a murderer, Badgley makes Joe so charismatic that many viewers cheer for him to get away with his evil actions. Doctor Doom needs an actor who can be extremely menacing but also leaves room for the audience to sympathize with, and Badgley can do that.

9 Colman Domingo Has The Perfect Voice And Nuance For Doom

Known For: Fear The Walking Dead, Euphoria, If Beale Street Could Talk, And More

Colman Domingo would be an interesting choice to play Doctor Doom. The actor has the perfect deep voice to make Doctor Doom as much of a force behind the mask in the MCU as Darth Vader is in the Star Wars franchise. Domingo has appeared in a series of Oscar-nominated movies, with the star also winning an Emmy for his guest role as one of Euphoria‘s most complex and sympathetic characters. Adding to that, as Victor Strand in Fear the Walking Dead, the actor has shown his ability to play an intelligent character who is always steps ahead of everyone else, like Doom.

8 Dan Stevens Has Experience With The Marvel Universe

Known For: Legion, Beauty And The Beast, The Guest, And More

Dan Stevens has dabbled in the Marvel universe before, playing David Haller, Professor X’s son, in Legion. In the series, Stevens showed that he had the ability to break down the layers of a complex character such as Doctor Doom. The actor is also extremely versatile, with dark performances such as in The Guest and more light-hearted ones like in the animated Solar Opposites, making him a great weapon for the MCU.

7 Billy Crudup

Known For: Watchmen, The Morning Show, Justice League, And More

While not at Marvel, Billy Crudup has experience playing comic book characters at DC. The actor gave life to one of the most powerful comic book characters of all time, Dr. Manhattan, in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. Crudup brought gravitas to the role that would fit perfectly for Doom. Besides, as the actor was unrecognizable for most of the film due to the CGI nature of his character, Crudup had to rely on his voice to transmit Dr. Manhattan’s nuances, making him perfect for the iron mask-clad Doctor Doom.

6 Michael Fassbender’s Magneto Lays The Path For His Doctor Doom

Known For: The X-Men Franchise, Inglorious Basterds, Assassin’s Creed, And More

With many rumored characters for Deadpool 3, Michael Fassbender could return as his excellent version of Magneto in the MCU movie. If that does not happen, then the actor would be free to sign on to play Doctor Doom, with the actor’s turn as Magneto showing how perfect he is for Doom. While the two villains are different, both Magneto and Doom are complex characters with dark pasts, and Fassbender could make Doom every ounce as compelling as he did Magneto.

5 Mads Mikkelsen

Known For: Hannibal, Casino Royale, Doctor Strange, And More

Mads Mikkelsen would be a terrific choice to play Doctor Doom. The actor is one of the first to be called whenever a huge franchise needs a villain, with Mikkelsen playing key antagonists in Casino Royale, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and more. Besides having the acting ability to portray incredible villains, Mikkelsen’s casting would allow Marvel to rectify a mistake. The actor was wasted as the boring Kaecilius in Doctor Strange, and a new role as Doom would allow him to show his full potential, continuing a Marvel trend where actors play multiple MCU roles.

4 Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Known For: Game Of Thrones, Gods Of Egypt, The Last Thing He Told Me, And More

One of the most requested actors to play the MCU’s Doctor Doom by fans is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The actor rose to fame with his role as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones. Coster-Waldau’s character started out as a despicable foe but, through the actor’s charisma and acting ability, slowly became a fan favorite and perhaps the character with the best growth in the series. As Doctor Doom, Coster-Waldau would be the best fit to play the villain as the ruler of Latveria, adding even more wonder to the MCU.

3 Jon Hamm

Known For: Mad Men, Baby Driver, Top Gun: Maverick, And More

Jon Hamm has been fancast for multiple superhero movie roles, ranging from Batman to Omni-Man to Doctor Doom. It is easy to see why, as the actor has the ability to switch from one of the most charming people on the planet to an insufferable jerk at the drop of a hat. Hamm is the whole package for the MCU’s Doom. He has the voice, the height, the acting ability, the charm, and the physicality to properly bring the iconic Marvel villain to life.

2 Cillian Murphy

Known For: Oppenheimer, Peaky Blinders, The Dark Knight Trilogy, And More

Currently, Cillian Murphy is the lead favorite among MCU fans to take on the role of Doctor Doom in the MCU. The actor was fantastic as the Batman villain Scarecrow in director Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. With roles in Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer, Murphy has shown he has the appropriate composure to play Doctor Doom. Murphy can bring a regal, calm quality to Doom as he rules over Latveria, with the actor being able to show a violent rage lying right under the surface, ready to be let out at any time, which suits Doom.

Related: Cillian Murphy Just Revealed The Key To Marvel Casting Him As Dr Doom In Fantastic Four

1 Andrew Lincoln

Known For: The Walking Dead, Love Actually, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, And More

Finally, an actor who has not appeared much in the names thrown around for Doctor Doom but would be pitch-perfect casting for the villain is Andrew Lincoln. The 50-year-old Lincoln is one of the best leading men in television history, giving life to Rick Grimes over nine seasons of The Walking Dead — and soon a spinoff. As Rick, Lincoln showed he was a force, playing different sides of the character as seasons went by, going from calm to extremely violent and everything in between. Casting one of the most recognizable actors of the last decade as Doctor Doom would be sure to get fans curious about the MCU’s plans.

Key Release Dates

 Doctor Doom might be coming soon to the MCU.  Read More