Marvel is usually spot on with their casting choices. Could anyone else have brought the self-deprecating cockiness to the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man that Robert Downey Jr. did? Or the sly scene stealing of Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki? Even after stumbling with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, the studio more than redeemed itself by recruiting Mark Ruffalo to take over for the ‘Avengers.’
But for the most part, while many of the actors that have stepped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe are well-known, none have been larger-than-life tabloid staples whose personal fame could upstage their movies. Perhaps until now. The latest rumbling is that the studio is hoping to enlist one of the biggest celebrities in the planet, Beyoncé, or as she is known in the acting world, Beyoncé Knowles!
An anonymous Disney senior executive reportedly spilled, “We would love to have Beyoncé on board, almost certainly as a newcomer to the screen from Marvel’s existing catalogue of comic book characters.”
In 2008, following a string of heavy parts, such as the tragic R&B singer Etta James in ‘Cadillac Records,’ Beyoncé exclaimed, “After doing these roles that were so emotional I was thinking to myself, ‘OK, I need to be a superhero. Although, when you think about the psychology of the heroes in the films these days, they are still a lot of work, of course, and emotional. But there’s also an action element that I would enjoy.”
Specifically, Queen B declared her desire to play Wonder Woman, stating “I want to do a superhero movie and what would be better than Wonder Woman? It would be great. And it would be a very bold choice. A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It’s time for that, right?… But I love Wonder Woman and it’d be a dream come true to be that character.”
Though she is best known as a pop icon, Beyoncé is an established actress, first gaining attention in the action comedy ‘Austin Powers In Goldmember’ and landing a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Dreamgirls.’ Even so, her filmography is fairly light and she’s never headlined a box-office smash, so her asking price wouldn’t be astronomical– a factor that Marvel weighs heavily as their heroes have a tendency to team-up and crossover.
Of course now comes the question of who she’d play. The most famous black female super hero is Marvel’s Storm, but Fox holds the rights to her as a member of the ‘X-Men.’ That drastically narrows things down.
But here are a few guesses:
Spectrum a.k.a. Monica Rambeau – Monica Rambeau was one of Marvel’s bigger names in the 80s, when she went by the venerable codename Captain Marvel and not only served with The Avengers, but led them for a while. She has the power to transform into any form of energy, which makes her pretty formidable. It’s doubtful she’d get a solo movie, but in just two outings, The Avengers have already changed their roster almost completely. If the team continues to evolve, there could be room for her in future installments.
Misty Knight – Traditionally, Misty Knight is one half of Daughters of the Dragon, a private investigations duo with the kung fu kicking Colleen Wing. Misty is a tough badass with a cybernetic arm built by Tony Stark, so she has an “in” with the established MCU. And she is very much a comic book match for Foxy Cleopatra, the character that Beyoncé played in ‘Goldmember.’
However, Misty is a more likely candidate for the urban street-level characters being used in Marvel’s Netflix series. And Beyoncé is too huge for TV.
A Character That Isn’t Black At All – It’s certainly not uncommon in this day and age, to employ colorblind casting. Most comic characters have been around for decades and were largely created by Caucasian males. Though some fans bristle at the idea, it makes perfect sense because it broadens that character’s appeal and the movies attract a far, far vaster audience than the comics ever will.
This would work best with a character that is NOT the star of her own movie. Marvel plans to bring ‘The Inhumans’ to the big screen, so Beyoncé could slip into the role of their Queen, Medusa. Or she could pop up in a future ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ flick, possibly as Moondragon, a haughty Earth-born telepath who later gains the power to turn into a cosmic dragon. She also happens to be the daughter of Drax, played in the movies by Dave Bautista, so that could be a means of introducing her.
Along those lines…
The Enchantress – Asgard has been established as being multicultural, despite originating in Norse mythology. Heimdall (Idris Elba) is black. Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) is Asian. The beguiling sorceress, The Enchantress could also be a goddess of color. ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ is due in 2017 and may take place mostly in Asgard, as was hinted at in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron.’ Playing a major villain could be a great idea for Beyoncé, because it may not require her to appear in multiple pictures.
And then there’s…
Captain Marvel a.k.a. Carol Danvers – The last solo hero announced to be getting her own movie, Captain Marvel is essentially Marvel’s answer to Wonder Woman. Monica Rambeau set a precedent for there being a black woman to bear the name Captain Marvel and Marvel is rumored to be seeking a well-known star to attach to the project.
The biggest reason I can think of to not race-swap this character is that the movies strongly influence the source material. That’s why Nick Fury is now black in the mainstream comics. But Nick Fury isn’t a headliner. Captain Marvel is possibly Marvel’s most visible female hero, so to try and somehow turn her into a black woman… yeah, after Rachel Dolezal, I don’t see that happening.
While Beyoncé is a huge celebrity and could prove to be a big draw for Marvel, it is hard to really figure out the right part for her.
What do you think? Would Mrs. Carter be a good fit for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Who should she play? Comment below!
Source: Movie Pilot, Hero Complex