The MCU still hasn’t cast an actor for its version of Doctor Doom, but Marvel’s perfect choice did already star in a previous Fantastic Four movie.

Now that The Fantastic Four has announced several major cast members, anticipation is growing around who might play the MCU’s Doctor Doom, and the perfect person for the job may have already starred in a Fantastic Four movie. The Fantastic Four will be the fifth time the team has been adapted for live-action, if the unreleased 1994 Fantastic Four film is also taken into account. All previous live-action films, including the 1994 installment, have included Doctor Doom in some capacity.

Marvel has announced the main four cast for The Fantastic Four, and it was recently revealed that Julia Garner will play the Silver Surfer in the film. With production for The Fantastic Four starting in July, it would seem as though any other casting announcements will have to be made soon. However, if Marvel is still searching for the perfect Doctor Doom, they should take a look at the cast of 2005’s Fantastic Four.

Who Is Hamish Linklater And Who Did He Play In Fantastic Four?

Hamish Linklater Has Been Acting In Film And TV Since 2000

Hamish Linklater was originally a stage actor before starring in the independent film Groove. The actor would continue starring in smaller roles, including his role in Fantastic Four (2005), before going on to play roles in larger movies like 42 with MCU star Chadwick Boseman. Linklater has had roles in several prestige TV series such as The Newsroom and Midnight Mass, as well as a longstanding Marvel role in FX’s X-Men show, Legion.

Casting Hamish Linklater as Doctor Doom would be a little ironic, as his previous Fantastic Four role was as Doom’s assistant, Leonard, who was mainly there for Doom to have someone to bounce ideas off of. At the end of the movie, Leonard is seen securing transport for Doom back to his home country, Latveria. Although this seemed to set up that Leonard would continue to help Doom, the character did not appear in the film’s sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Why Hamish Linklater Is Perfect For The MCU’s Doctor Doom

Hamish Linklater Already Proved His Villain Potential

Although he has had several big roles at this point, Hamish Linklater’s performance in the Netflix series Midnight Mass serves as a perfect audition for the role of Doctor Doom. Linklater’s character, Father Paul, is convinced that he is helping his hometown by infecting them with what he believes to be angel blood, but is actually from a horrifying creature similar to a vampire. Doom, like Father Paul, also started his journey as someone trying to save someone he cares about, but who was too arrogant to consider that he might be going about things the wrong way.

Father Paul is also prone to giving grandiose speeches, convinced that he is speaking with the higher authority of God. Though Doctor Doom is not conventionally characterized as a religious man, being able to deliver impactful monologues with an air of ultimate authority is something that any actor playing the character should be able to do well. Linklater’s ability to be captivating and terrifying while simply standing and delivering dialogue would likely only be enhanced by Doom’s intimidating costume and arsenal of abilities.

Linklater Wouldn’t Be The First Fantastic Four Actor To Be Recast For The MCU

Several Stars From Both Fantastic Four Franchises Joined The MCU

Given the less-than-stellar reputation of 2005’s Fantastic Four, it might seem like a strange place to look for MCU stars, but it has already been proven that the movie’s poor quality should not be reflective of its talented cast. Chris Evans, who starred as Johnny Storm in the movie, became one of the most iconic members of the MCU, Steve Rogers aka Captain America. While his MCU role wasn’t as substantial, Laurence Fishburne – who played the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four’s sequel – also turned in a good performance in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Although it was a different Fantastic Four franchise, the 2015 version was also critically panned. However, one of its cast members, Michael B. Jordan, gave the MCU one of its all-time best performances as Killmonger in Black Panther. The MCU could keep this tradition of redeeming former Fantastic Four stars in The Fantastic Four by casting Hamish Linklater as Doctor Doom as there is little doubt he would be the best live-action version of the character so far.