Mads Mikkelsen Frontrunner For Greatest Marvel Villain

Slated for a May 2025 release, Fantastic Four will kick off Phase Six of the MCU, which will culminate with back-to-back Avengers movies (The Kang Dynasty, Secret Wars).

It’s worth noting, however, that Fantastic Four is still very much in the pre-production phases, and we’re mostly dealing with conjecture at this point in time.

Though no contract that we’ve been made aware of has been signed at the time of this writing, film critic John Campea confirmed that Mads Mikkelsen has been in talks with Marvel Studios about potentially portraying Doctor Doom.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that he has officially been cast for the villainous role. In fact, Campea has suggested that Marvel has probably talked to several different actors, and casting for the upcoming movie has not yet been announced.

Not only is it rumored that Mads Mikkelsen may take on the role of Doctor Doom, sources have reason to believe that Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) will be taking on the role of Reed Richards.

What’s more, Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon) is rumored to be the top choice for Sue Storm. That being said, until we hear a definitive announcement from Marvel Studios, we shouldn’t accept these rumors as fact until a contract is signed, and the talent involved confirms their involvement.

But Mads Mikkelsen may be the right guy for the role. At least, transitioning to the role of Doctor Doom seems like the right move to make, given his experience portraying Kaecilius, the primary antagonist in 2016’s Doctor Strange.

When dealing with the MCU, scheduling over a long period of time needs to be considered.

More often than not, the storytelling and continuity across the entire franchise requires actors to sign on for a multi-picture deal, which may not be feasible.

So even though Mads Mikkelsen may be one of the top choices for Doctor Doom, his availability may be questionable, which is a variable that needs to be considered, especially if the villain crosses over into The Kang Dynasty or Secret Wars, which are slated for a 2026 and 2027 release, respectively.

As of this writing, Mads Mikkelsen has three upcoming films with yet-to-be-determined release dates: Dust Bunny, The Black Kaiser, and The Billion Dollar Spy. While Dust Bunny is currently filming, production schedules and release dates have not yet been confirmed for the other two films.

We still have plenty of time for the Phase Six release slate to be solidified, so if the timing makes sense, Mads Mikkelsen could very well be the next Doctor Doom.

Fortunately, principal photography for Fantastic Four is scheduled to begin in January 2024, so we don’t have to wait much longer for an official casting announcement.

While we don’t currently know whether Mads Mikkelsen will end up taking on the role of Doctor Doom, or if Pedro Pascal will portray Reed Richardson, we have no doubt in our minds that they’re both more than capable of delivering the goods if the opportunity presents itself.