Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Giancarlo Esposito could be headed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the next big bad guy. As speculation continues about Phase 4 of the MCU and beyond, there are chances that the fan-favorite actor, known for ‘The Boys‘, could be appearing in a major role in the future Marvel movies. Esposito is still in the early phases of his negotiations. The news was first reported by Comicbook.
According to reports, Esposito could be appearing in the role of ‘The Benefactor’, a mysterious and nefarious character. Apparently, he was the person who employed Sonny Burch in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’. Fans of Giancarlo Esposito, who have seen him play the role of Gus Fring in ‘Breaking Bad‘ and ‘Better Call Saul‘, must be delighted at this news since the actor certainly has the potential to do justice to the role. Reports suggest that he is also the perfect age to play the rumored role, and Marvel is apparently looking at other actors of the same age as Esposito, for the part.
However, there is a conflicting report too, as there have been suggestions that Giancarlo Esposito could be cast in the role of Norman Osborn or the Green Goblin. We last saw Willem Dafoe play the part in Sony’s ‘Spider-Man’ movies. If Osborn is indeed added to MCU’s rogue’s gallery, we will have a very different and fascinating long term villain on our hands, someone who is a different type of evil than the mad Titan Thanos, who was the recurring baddie in the last phase. Osborn does become the Green Goblin eventually, but he remains a major part of Marvel Universe for a much longer time. In the comics, he even went on to take control of the national security of the United States. Although, having Osborn would be a major asset for the MCU that needs another big bad villain after Thanos was snapped away in ‘Avengers: Endgame‘, it is unclear if they have the rights to the character.
It would seem that Sony still holds the rights to the character, but Marvel Studios has not been one to shy away from partnerships. Moreover, since the partnership with Sony Pictures has been very fruitful when it comes to the ‘Spider-Man’ movies, with ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home‘ making $1 billion at the box office, there is no reason to believe that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures cannot work something out when it comes to the character of Green Goblin.
Of course, there is a chance that Giancarlo Esposito is coming on board to play an entirely different character. We will have to wait and see how things play out.
