Who Should Play Captain Marvel? Top 8 Choices for Carol Danvers

Last fall, the internet blew up at the news that we would be getting a Captain Marvel movie. Considering it’s not out until 2018 though, we didn’t expect to hear much about it for a while.

However, a rumor popped up today alleging that somehow, Marvel has managed to pull a fast one on us, and covertly cast the character for a surprise cameo in Avengers: Age of Ultron. That’s exciting news if true, and of course, I have some thoughts on who should be playing the character.

Here are my top 8 choices to play Carol Danvers in Age of Ultron and beyond:

1. Katee Sackhoff

Everyone in the world apparently wants Katee Sackhoff to play the character (and she’s rumored to have met with Marvel to discuss… something), so let’s get this possibility out of the way first. She’s arguably the fans’ number one pick, and it’s not hard to see why. Sackhoff has a long history of playing tough, capable characters, and her experience on Battlestar Galactica proves she can easily fit the role of a military woman (Danvers is a US Air Force officer).

In her favor is the fact that Sackhoff a recognizable name that fans can get behind, but she isn’t so big of a star that Marvel would need to pay out the nose for her time. She’s also not attached to any major franchises (unless you count Riddick), so her schedule should be wide open for one of Marvel’s infamous multi-film deals.

2. Charlize Theron

One of the big obstacles Marvel will face with Captain Marvel is launching a new series, based on a character most moviegoers haven’t heard of, right smack dab in the middle of their biggest event storyline ever. It would be incredibly easy for this character to get lost in the shuffle, especially if the lead actress doesn’t manage to make a huge splash.

Guardians of the Galaxy managed to impress, despite its lack of recognizable characters, but that was an ensemble film. Chris Pratt didn’t have to carry the entire movie, he had an incredible group of actors and actresses to help support that story with him. Captain Marvel likely won’t have that luxury, and it will be up to whoever plays Carol Danvers to carry that burden all by herself.

Who better than a veteran actress with nearly 40 feature film roles? An Academy Award winner with big-budget blockbuster experience to boot? Charlize Theron is more than capable of playing Carol Danvers and doing a fantastic job of it, the only question would be if she’s willing to sign on to an extended Marvel contract.

3. Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt’s career trajectory over the past decade hasn’t screamed “blockbuster” filmmaking… that is until the past couple of years when she starred in both Looper and Edge of Tomorrow. In the latter case especially, Blunt proved that she’s just as comfortable suiting up for a big action movie as she is in a smaller, dramatic role. Plus, that badass look and vibe she sported in the movie would be perfect for Carol Danvers.

Interestingly, Blunt is already on Marvel’s radar, having nearly been cast twice before. She was the studio’s original choice for Black Widow in Iron Man 2 before a scheduling conflict got in the way, and was later offered the role of Peggy Carter in the first Captain America movie, but turned it down. Marvel clearly likes her, and giving her a lead role and a major character might be enough to get her interested again.

4. Ronda Rousey

Do you want a badass Captain Marvel? Then how about the world’s most dangerous woman (I’m not even exaggerating). This undefeated UFC world champion has recently begun to expand into acting, including a role in the upcoming Furious 7. By the time Captain Marvel rolls around, she’ll have at least three major blockbuster movie roles, so while she’s definitely inexperienced, it’s not that bad. She’s also a major geek (a WoW player and a huge Pokemon fan), so a role in a Marvel movie should be right up her alley.

Working against her is the fact that while she’s got tremendous presence, her acting ability in The Expendables 3 was… a bit lacking. We’ll see how she’s improved in Furious 7, but Marvel is only going to want her if she’s capable of carrying a film on her own. That, and Marvel will have to work around her MMA career, which involves intense training periods for around two fights a year.

5. Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain has one hell of a screen prescence, the sort of strong, charismatic vibe that Captain Marvel is going to need. The fact that she’s a two-time Academy Award nominated actress doesn’t hurt either.

It’s also worth noting that like Emily Blunt, Chastain has a flirtatious history with Marvel. She reportedly met with them over the role of Maya Hansen in Iron Man 3, and again for Hope Van Dyne in Ant-Man. She passed on both roles due to scheduling conflicts, but she’s stated in the past that she is very interested in playing a superheroine.

6. Yvonne Strahovski

Aside from being the spitting image of Carol Danvers, Strahovski is also a fan favorite after her run on Chuck, as well as a smaller role on Dexter. More recently, she proved she has action chops to boot with a big part on 24: Live Another Day. Best of all, she’s not attached to a single major franchise or ongoing TV series, so her schedule is wide open.

7. Katheryn Winnick

She’s yet to land a big movie role, but Katheryn Winnick has been absolutely phenomenal on Vikings. She’s displayed some tremendous on-screen presence through a very strong female character, and that’s exactly what Marvel would be looking for to play Carol Danvers.

She’s also a relatively unknown actress, and we know how much Marvel likes to “discover” its stars. Plus, she’s a real-life martial artist (and licensed bodyguard), so she definitely has what it takes to pull off the film’s action beats.

8. Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer may have gotten her big break on Game of Thrones, but she’s proven she also has what it takes to be an action star with her recent appearance in the Hunger Games series.

Weirdly enough though, Dormer has already had a small role in a previous Marvel movie, as a character in Captain America: The First Avenger. That would seem like it would it would disqualify her, but it was such a minor role that it could probably slide. If Marvel really wants to get cute with it, they could have that character be a relative of Carol Danvers, which could turn out to be a fun little easter egg.