Hey @Marvel we’ve done all the work!

With the Disney and Fox merger the X-Men, Fantastic Four and more are coming to the MCU. While there’s been a lot of chatter about who will be coming to the big and small screen next, for me the question isn’t who should be introduced but who should portray them. Here’s my list of actors to play the characters we love in Phase 4 and beyond and why they’re the perfect fit.

The Fantastic Four
The First Family of Marvel, the one team that no one can seem to get right on film. The Fantastic Four have had one terrible movie after another. Here’s hoping with the right cast and writers they can finally get the onscreen treatment they deserve.

Reed Richards aka Mr Fantastic
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

Intense. Intelligent. Borderline terrifying. Rhys-Meyers has been in the game for a long time. He would be bring the right mix of passion for all things science and social awkwardness that’s needed to make Reed Richards work. One of the most intelligent people in the Marvel Universe, Reed draws others to him, commanding loyalty and love, while remaining more than a little oblivious to social norms. It’s what makes him adorable, annoying and amazing when handled by the right writers and something that’s been sorely lacking on-screen.

Sue Storm aka The Invisible Woman
Freema Agyeman

When I think of Sue Storm I think kind, incredibly smart and more than willing to kick your ass or bake you cookies depending on which, exactly, you deserve. With that in mind the undeniably darling Freema Agyeman was the first face I pictured. Between her characters of Martha Jones on Doctor Who and Amanita Caplan on Sense8 she’s cornered the market on women who have common sense, yet haven’t lost their wonder for the world around them.

Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch
Kofi Siroboe

The baby of the First Family of Marvel, Johnny is a giant dork. Built like a brick house, smarter than anyone gives him credit for and extremely powerful, Johnny is a tricky character to get right. Brash and temperamental he’s got a heart of gold and would do anything for his family and friends, which include a certain wall-crawler. 23 year-old Kofi Siroboe would bring the right balance of sweet, secret nerd to this character who too often gets written and portrayed as only a hot-headed, pretty face.

Ben Grimm aka The Thing
Jensen Ackles

One of the most beautiful people in Hollywood, Ackles has proven his acting chops over and over again throughout the 13 years (and counting) of the cult series Supernatural. With Ben Grimm he could bring his skills of saying everything with just his eyes to the big screen and Marvel would finally get their hands on an actor they’ve been circling for years.

The Family That Fights Together
Family and Friends are the ties that bind; and one of the things we’ve discussed a lot is using the ties of existing characters in the MCU to bring in new characters and that brings me to my number one pick:

Jennifer Walters aka The Sensational She-Hulk
Angie Harmon

In spite of the ridiculous notion that somehow Harmon is too old –  despite being five years younger than Mark Ruffalo – to play Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner’s younger cousin, Harmon is by far the best pick. Beautiful, talented and fierce Harmon is Jennifer Walters: able to play her vulnerable, insecure side and her badass, take no prisoners alter-ego. That the character, in all her forms, is a lawyer makes this casting pretty much fate.

Ororo Munroe aka Storm
Rutina Wesley

Rutina Wesley’s star continues to rise, going from True Blood and Hannibal, to the critically acclaimed Queen Sugar.  A wielder of Mjolnir, sometimes paramour of Thor and Loki and the future wife of T’Challa, Storm is connected to almost every member of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four as well as being the co-leader of the X-Men with Cyclops. As we said in one of our podcast, she’s beauty, grace and fire aka the perfect Storm.

The X-Men
Speaking of the X-Men, most of us agree, the X-Men Franchise was never actually about the X-Men and more about Wolverine and the epic bromance of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr. Going forward I’d like to get back to basics and focus on the core crew of the X Family starting with the Charles’ other son in all but blood:

Scott Summers aka Cyclops
James Marsden

Yeah, I know, he already played Cyclops in the X-Men films. I don’t care. One of the few things the X-Men film franchise got unequivocally right was the casting of Marsden as Scott Summers. One of the original X-Men, Scott is one of the most divisive and complex characters in all of comics and Marsden never truly got an opportunity to bring his impressive acting skills to, what should’ve been, a core member of the X-Men. I would love to see what he could do if given the opportunity to really let loose.

Emma Frost aka The White Queen
Rashida Jones

Emma Frost: The White Queen, Leader of the Hellions, Mother of the Stepford Cuckoos. One of the most powerful telepaths in the Marvel Universe and a fierce hand-to-hand combatant (she beat the living shite out of Thor, guys), Emma is one of my favorite characters. Often underestimated by her enemies and allies, Emma is vicious, compassionate and highly logical. Rashida Jones would give us Emma’s diamond hard, suffer no fools attitude, sharp humor and stunning sexuality.

Logan aka The Wolverine
Christian Kane

To be honest Wolverine is not one of my favorite characters, either on film or in the comics. However, with Hugh Jackman retiring and a new Logan more than likely entering the MCU it’s time for some fresh blood. A fan favorite from the Whedonverse, Leverage and The Librarians, singer and actor Christian Kane would be the first onscreen Wolverine who actually looked the part. His acting abilities combined with his years of training in mixed martial arts, UFC and swordplay would make him a flawless Wolverine.

This is part one of my picks, what are yours? Do you agree? Disagree? Why? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for Part 2 where I tackle the mystical aspects of the MCU and the Young Avengers!