Cillian Murphy and Henry Cavill’s Marvel debut rumors seem to be spreading like wildfire.

With the well-timed casting announcement for Fantastic Four, Marvel is pulling up its socks to revive the era where its movie releases were unmissable events.

On Valentine’s Day this year, Marvel announced Pedro Pascal will be playing Reed Richards with Vanessa Kirby taking on Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing. This announcement finally put all rumors to rest as fans rejoiced with a welcome cast.

Will Cillian Murphy Play Doctor Doom?

Doctor Doom

Out of the numerous villains defeated by the Fantastic Four team, Doctor Doom is one of the fiercest foes who threatens to destroy everything within its grasp.

Quite literally named Doom, he wreaks havoc to bring impending doom. Actors have previously taken on an iteration of the iconic villain. Julian McMahon played Doctor Doom in the 2005 and 2007 movies whereas Toby Kebbell was cast in the 2015 reboot.

For the upcoming Marvel version, many actors have been rumored to be considered for the role. The frontrunners seem to be Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders fame Cillian Murphy and Superman fame Henry Cavill.

The two actors are fan favorite picks to play the role since Murphy has already proven his mettle in a villainous role with Scarecrow and Cavill’s physical structure and a hint of charming menace in his personality make them perfect for playing Doctor Doom.

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Given Cavill’s past collaborations with adaptations, it is believed that he would only take up the role if the movie was as close to the source material as possible. He left The Witcher series because the makers tampered with the story and he wanted a more familiar adaptation.

On the other hand, fans are worried Murphy, being an Oscar-nominated actor who loves doing niche projects might not be interested in doing a commercial role while committing to multiple projects over a longer term.

Fans of the franchise have also suggested other actors for the role including Javier Bardem, Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and Jon Hamm. All of these actors seem to have a flair for portraying evil characters who are not all bad. They can showcase a streak of goodness within them, which might prove useful to depict Doctor Doom who is forced to seek revenge and make amends.

The Villain in Upcoming Fantastic Four

In the upcoming movie, the team of Fantastic Four will most likely fight Doctor Doom since he emerges as a worthy enemy. It can also possibly lead the way for Doom to be the central villain of the saga after Kang’s exit.

Moreover, rumors were flying back in 2022 when everyone believed we would see Doom in the sequel of Black Panther. Even though it did not happen, it does hint towards Marvel’s possible plans to introduce Doom into the canon storyline.

If not Doom, then maybe Galactus can prove to be a fearful villain for the team. Fantastic Four is set to release on July 25, 2025, there is still time so we should hope to get an official casting by Marvel soon. Written by Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, the show will be directed by Matt Shakman.