Britain's answer to Captain America, Captain Britain is the leading protector of the United Kingdom in the Marvel Universe. Created in 1976 by Chris Claremont, the original Captain Britain comics saw the adventures of Brian Braddock, a nuclear research assistant who is granted powers by Merlin of Arthurian legend. These powers have Brian become Captain Britain, defender of the British Isles and, later, the multiverse.
With an amalgam of Captain Britain and Captain America recently appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in the form of Captain Carter, fans are wondering whether they'll see a fully realized Captain Britain in the MCU someday. If the character does make the jump to the big screen, then these actors would be the best to, hypothetically, play them.
Charlie Hunnam
Playing the titular role in Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Charlie Hunnam is already well-steeped in the Arthurian mythology that surrounds Captain Britain.
Hunnam is an immediate choice for Captain Britain purely due to the resemblance between him and the character, in both physique and facial appearance. On top of this, his roles in Sons of Anarchy, King Arthur, and The Gentleman prove that he can pull off both the heroic and no-nonsense, intimidating aspects of the character.
Maisie Williams
One of the breakout stars of Game of Thrones, Maisie Williams would make an excellent Captain Britain if Marvel Studios were to take a non-traditional route when adapting the character.
In the Marvel Comics universe, the mantle of Captain Britain currently belongs to Brian's sister, Betsy Braddock, who took over the role after Brian was corrupted by Morgan le Fay. If Marvel Studios were to adapt Captain Britain as Betsy rather than Brian, then Maisie Williams' ability to play feisty, likable characters would be a great fit. With experience in on-screen sword fighting and some serious acting ability, Williams would be a great candidate to wield Betsy's psychic energy blades.
John Boyega
Known primarily for his role in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, John Boyega's charisma would give the character a uniquely charming personality.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it would be great to see John Boyega take a well-deserved lead role in an MCU movie.
Hayley Atwell
This would be an unexpected move, but Marvel Studios might simply adapt Captain Britain to the big screen using the pre-established Captain Carter, played by Hayley Atwell.
To elaborate, the original Captain Britain comics were the first to flesh out the Marvel multiverse by introducing the "Captain Britain Corps," an army of Captain Britain variants from different universes who fight off multiversal threats. With Captain Carter appearing in the MCU twice as a multiversal character, it wouldn't be too surprising to see another Captain Carter variant make an appearance as part of the Captain Britain Corps in some future multiversal MCU movie.
Simon Pegg
Popular English actor and star of the "Cornetto Trilogy", Simon Pegg has yet to be cast in the MCU and could easily fill the role of a slightly older, more cynical Captain Britain.
Simon Pegg has already proved his great comedic and dramatic acting ability in films like Mission Impossible movies has proved that he's capable of the intense training needed for these big-budget action movies.
Joseph Gilgun
Joseph Gilgun is a criminally underrated English actor who is most famous for his role in This Is England in which he steals every scene and is endlessly endearing.
This would certainly be an unexpected pick from Marvel Studios but might prove to be a great one as Gilgun truly excels in any part he's given. With a unique sense of humor, buckets of charm, and a long history in acting with some seriously emotive scenes, there's no doubt that Gilgun would become an MCU favorite from his very first scene as Brian Braddock.
Anya Taylor-Joy
Anya-Taylor Joy has quickly become one of the more prolific actors in film and television with recent appearances in The Queen's Gambit. Yet to appear in the MCU, Anya would be an excellent choice for Betsy Braddock's iteration of Captain Britain.
Anya's versatility shown in a wide variety of roles and her cooly confident performances makes her well suited for the role of Betsy Braddock. On top of this, she looks a lot like some of the modern artwork of Betsy (minus the purple hair). Borrowing from her role in The Queen's Gambit, Anya could bring a certain elegance and subtle bravado to Captain Britain that would make her stand out from other MCU characters as an intrinsically British superhero.
Riz Ahmed
Despite being popularized by his appearances in Sound of Metal and Four Lions cemented him as a compelling and charismatic on-screen force.
With comic book movie fatigue starting to set in, the MCU needs to start making unexpected, exciting choices, and casting Riz Ahmed would be one of them. Ahmed could bring gravitas and depth to Captain Britain whilst providing the character with some of the dry British humor seen in Four Lions. On top of this, it would be great to see Marvel Studios representing the large Pakistani population of Britain.
Daisy Ridley
The lead of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Daisy Ridley's performance as Rey, a hero with a purpose yet to be fully realized, could translate well into playing the Betsy Braddock iteration of Captain Britain.
Daisy Ridley's ability to play a hero that is simultaneously confident and unsure of herself could make for a compelling Captain Britain origin story as Ridley would bring a sense of humor and stubbornness to Betsy that would make the hero likable yet fallible. Additionally, her casting could also lead to a Star Wars reunion as Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight happens to operate in London. Seeing the two interact as their respective MCU characters would be a real treat as they have great on-screen chemistry.
Henry Cavill
Rumored to be playing Captain Britain for a long time and often expressing interest in the character, Henry Cavill is the most popular name in Captain Britain fan casts.
Henry Cavill has already proved he's wholly capable of playing a superhero, being that he has been the DCEU's The Witcher, Cavill as Brian Braddock is a casting choice that's hard to say no to.
