Despite being in the business for nearly two decades — during which he had a major starring role in Showtime’s Shameless cast for 11 seasons — it was not until recently when Jeremy Allen White became one of the most talked about actors of his time. His current esteem began when he earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe for his performance in the lead role of FX’s The Bear cast, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto. Of course, any time a talented performer reaches a point in their career that is met with this much acclaim and popularity, I feel compelled to ask that age old question: are there upcoming Marvel movies in their future?
Obviously, at the moment, there is no way of knowing if Kevin Feige and co. have been in contact with White about starring in any of their upcoming superhero movies, so we clearly do not have an answer there. However, when it came to exploring which Marvel characters would be a good fit for the versatile actor — who has done everything from serious dramas like the Amazon Prime series, Homecoming, raunchy comedies like Movie 43, and even horror with Dave Franco’s directorial debut, The Rental — I had more than enough ideas to choose from. I managed to narrow the choices down to the following four comic book heroes and one villain — starting with one he has already had the “training” to play.
Saucier
You would almost think that White was already an expert in culinary arts from the way he plays a renowned, high-class chef-turned-sandwich shop runner on The Bear — especially with the sequences shot in one chaotic take (one that took up an entire episode in Season 1). So, that gave me the idea of casting him as someone from the Marvel Comics Universe who knows their way around the kitchen, but also has a few meatier (pun slightly intended) characteristics as well. I found exactly what I was looking for in Saucier.
This aptly named mutant — who actually debuted in the first issue of Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto in 2020 — is described by the attractive on-and-off villain as a miracle in the world of cooking. Whether or not his expert skills in that field have anything to do with him having four arms has not been determined, but it is something that I think would be really cool to see in Marvel Studio’s X-Men movies reboot, whenever that happens. Now, the role would require White to don yellow make-up, sharp fake teeth, and prosthetic horns emerging from his head, so he might not be easy to recognize, but knowing it is Carmy under there might be exciting enough.
Wolverine
On the other hand, an actor as popular as White probably deserves to be cast as a more popular X-Men character, if that is to be the kind of role that gets him into the MCU. So, why not the most popular X-Men character there is, Wolverine?
Even when keeping his recent accolades in consideration, some die-hard fans of Hugh Jackman — who is returning to play Wolverine one more time for Deadpool 3 — might find the actor to be a questionable choice as a worthy successor for the role. However, I am not the only person to consider his potential, having found a fan-made photo of White bearing the Adamantium claws on Reddit. Plus, some might reconsider when they see how ripped he has gotten when preparing to star in one of the most interesting upcoming 2023 movies…which brings me to my next prospect.
The Thing
In December 2023, White will star in, arguably, his biggest big screen role to date in the upcoming A24 movie, The Iron Claw — director Sean Durkin’s drama that chronicles the true story of the prolific wrestling dynasty of the Von Erich family, throughout the 1980s. The actor told GQ that he put on 40 lbs. of muscle to play Kerry Von Erich, which has me convinced that he is in perfect shape to play a widely beloved Marvel hero who actually was part of a federation of super-powered wrestlers in the comics: The Thing.
The world still does not know which actors will be brought into the new Fantastic Four cast to play Marvel’s first family of superheroes in their hotly anticipated upcoming reboot for the MCU. The rock-skinned Ben Grimm is one role we are especially curious about, however, because we also do not know if director Matt Shakman is opting to go the Michael Chiklis route and use practical prosthetics or just use CGI like they did with Jamie Bell. Personally, I hope they choose the former because, if cast, that would give White another opportunity to put his new physique to good use on the big screen.
Nova
White’s shredded appearance might also come in handy if he were cast as Richard Ryder, who is otherwise known as Nova and has yet to be introduced in the MCU despite his close ties to the Guardians of the Galaxy. However, I assure you that White’s abs are not the only reason I considered him for this lone, justice-seeking space traveler.
In 2018, White starred on the first season of the creepy Amazon original TV show, Homecoming, as Joseph Shrier — a former soldier struggling with his mental health while being treated at a mysterious wellness facility. I think a similar approach to playing Ryder — a soldier of an intergalactic kind who has also sought therapy after becoming the Nova Corps’ sole surviving member — would make for a very unique, engaging, and special portrayal of this fan-favorite cosmic hero.
Doctor Doom
Of course, the only thing any actor wants to play more than the hero, is the villain. To choose which of member of Marvel’s iconic rogues gallery would be the ideal choice for White, I looked back at his movies and TV shows before The Bear and took inspiration from his most famous role from that time (and one of the least shameless characters on Shameless, actually), Lip Gallagher, who is a rebellious and self-destructive sort despite being extremely intelligent…kind of like Victor Von Doom.
Not only is the royal Latverian native known as the archenemy of the Fantastic Four, but one of the most feared criminal masterminds in the Marvel Universe, regardless of who he faces off against. I think that if White is not cast as The Thing, making him Doctor Doom would be a perfect alternative (if not a better fit altogether) for the refreshingly grounded sense of humanity he could potentially bring to the character that we have not seen outside of the comic book pages, as far as I know.
If joining the MCU does not work out, I would love see him try his hand at some upcoming DC movies, just because I think the comic book movie genre would benefit greatly from an actor of his caliber, regardless of what universe or role he occupies.
