There’s a small issue with the X-Men joining the MCU. Josh Brolin definitely can’t play both Thanos and Cable in the universe. Our bet is that Marvel decides to cast someone else. Perhaps Stephen Lang will finally get his chance to audition for Cable in the MCU.
The last two decades have given Disney a new objective: to own all the things. It seems like every franchise under the sun is now tied to Disney in some way or another, and while that brings with it a wide variety of concerns, it has also become a nightmare in terms of marketing and, in some cases, casting decisions.
After Disney acquired Fox in 2019, the company was effectively in control of a considerable chunk of the Marvel Universe – MCU or not. Fans of Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers were eager to celebrate, as the acquisition could only mean one thing: Deadpool was finally coming to the MCU.
Flash forward a few years into the future and we still haven’t seen Deadpool make his glorious debut in the world’s biggest cinematic universe. Luckily for fans, the third film in the Deadpool franchise was confirmed earlier this year by Kevin Feige himself.
The film will be a trailblazer for the Marvel Cinematic Universe: not only will it be one of the first fully-fledged feature films of a formerly Fox-owned Marvel character, but it will also be a co-production between Marvel and Ryan Reynold’s own production company, Maximum Effort.
Deadpool 3 will no doubt see the return of Reynolds as the titular Merc with a Mouth as he rejoins his colourful cast of allies, which includes the likes of Dopinder, the goofy taxi driver; Domino, the mutant with superpowered luck; and Cable, who is being played by… Thanos?
While Deadpool’s arrival to the MCU sounds like one of the most anticipated moments for fans, it’s easy to see that some things might be lost in translation when the franchise migrates into Marvel’s mainline film universe.
Josh Brolin was great as Cable in Deadpool 2, but his appearance as Thanos in the mainline MCU is pretty much a clear indication that the actor won’t be reprising his role in Deadpool 3. There’s even a joke about Brolin’s role as Thanos in Deadpool 2 – but it might be a bit complicated to explain in the context of the MCU why Thanos is back and he’s not purple anymore.
Still, even though Brolin made an outstanding job as both Thanos and Cable, we believe that we might have found the perfect actor to replace him in the MCU: Stephen Lang. You might have seen Stephen Lang in action if you’ve watched any of the Don’t Breathe films – and if you’ve seen the second one, then you might already know why we picked him as the perfect Cable.
As a man of few words, Lang proved time and again that he can convincingly convey emotion without having to say anything at all. This is a character trait that would work perfectly for Cable’s stoic persona. He certainly looks like a grizzled soldier, and that alone is more than enough to get across what this character stands for. Physical resemblance aside, at seventy years old, Stephen Lang is still in peak physical condition, something that would fit Cable’s character to a T.
Perhaps the best part about casting Stephen Lang for Cable’s role would be what his dynamic with Ryan Reynolds would be like. After all, one of the reasons why Cable and Deadpool work so well together is because of their clashing personalities. Sure, they might fight just as hard as any other heroes in the Marvel universe, but there is a sense of camaraderie between them. Combine Reynolds’s outrageous sense of humour with Lang’s serious approach, and you’ll have a hero duo unlike any other in the MCU.
