MCU fans went wild the other day when it was reported that Taika Waititi had been spotted taking Ryan Gosling out for lunch, because Waititi was recently confirmed to be writing and directing the fourth Thor movie and we all know that in Hollywood, lunch doesn’t just mean lunch – it means that movie stars are being pitched potential projects, contracts are being drafted up by agents and lawyers, and deals are being made.
So, fans have been speculating about which character from the Marvel Comics universe the La La Land star might be playing if he s the MCU as there are plenty that he’d be well-suited for.
Updated on July 26th, 2022 by Stuart Kilmartin: With a slew of new Marvel Studios movies in the works, and an updated Phase 5 & Phase 6 release schedule of movies set to see Marvel fans through until 2025, there's plenty of speculation regarding multitudes of new characters set to appear. Ryan Gosling is one of the few major actors working in Hollywood today yet to be tapped by Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios for a role in one of their projects. There are plenty of great comic-book book characters that the star of Netflix's The Gray Man could play in the MCU.
Nova
The MCU has already set the stage for Nova’s debut nicely. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos destroyed Xandar off-screen, likely killing most of the Nova Corps. In the comics, Richard Rider is the last surviving member of the Nova Corps when he takes on the superhero mantle of “Nova.”
His quirk is that he’s not ready to take on this responsibility, so Ryan Gosling could play the character as the same kind of bumbling buffoon he played in the underrated The Nice Guys, which would also suit the wacky comic tone set by Taika Waititi nicely.
Cyclops
The leader of the X-Men in the Marvel comics and the classic 1990s X-Men cartoon, soon to be revived on Disney+ as X-Men movies, but the debut of the X-Men in the MCU is an opportunity to do right by the character.
Gosling would be a perfect choice to take on the role of Scott Summers/Cyclops, he's tall, classically handsome, and exudes charisma and confidence with each of his roles. Seeing Gosling lead the X-Men in the MCU would be a perfect role for the actor who's yet to dip his toes in the cinematic superhero world.
The Human Torch
Ryan Gosling might be a little old to play Johnny Storm, since he’s the arrogant younger brother of Susan Storm who revels in the celebrity status that comes along with being a superhero and that’s a young man’s characterization, but he certainly has the charisma to pull it off.
Maybe the MCU will slightly change the Fantastic Four to differentiate them from past big-screen versions, like they did with Spider-Man. There’s a good chance that the Fantastic Four will be introduced in the cosmic corners of the MCU to explain why they’ve been absent for so long, so maybe they’ll make their debut in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Silver Surfer
Another iconic character Marvel regained during Disney's purchase of 20th Century Fox, the Silver Surfer has only made one live-action appearance thus far, in the much maligned Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. While that movie didn't do justice to the character, there's a great deal of hope that Marvel Studios will get the character right when they finally bring him into the fold.
One of Marvel Comics most complex and complicated characters, the role of the Silver Surfer would be a perfect role for Gosling to take on. While the practicality of portraying the Silver Surfer might prove difficult for Gosling, due to heavy use of VFX effects, movies like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes prove that digital make-up can still allow an actor's performance and expressions to shine through.
Jane Foster’s New Boyfriend
Since The Dark World (and then forgot he was even in the movie), but Gosling could play a guy she’s already in a long-term relationship with.
She could even have a husband played by Gosling – , it’s been six years since we’ve checked in on her and Love and Thunder is still another two years away, which is plenty of time to meet someone and settle down with them.
Wonder-Man
Wonder-Man is one of Marvel Comics oldest superheroes, and one yet to make his live-action debut in the Marvel Universe. With the recent announcement (via THR) that Shang Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is working on a Wonder-Man project with Marvel Studios, now is the perfect opportunity to get the casting of the character right with Ryan Gosling in the starring role.
As one of Marvel's oldest characters, with a long comic-book history, Wonder-Man would be a great first superhero role for Gosling. The character is not as well-known as other popular Marvel heroes, leaving the door open to a unique and personalized take on the character, similar to what Oscar Isaac did portraying Moon Knight on his own Disney+ series.
Balder the Brave
One of the few Norse mythology-based characters from the comics not to make it into Thor’s solo outings yet, Balder the Brave would be a fascinating character to introduce into Thor: Love and Thunder. Balder is one of Odin’s sons and a half-brother of Thor.
The tradition with the Thor movies seems to be to introduce new Asgardian warriors and, especially, new of the Odinson bloodline into the fold. Casting Ryan Gosling as Balder (who was loosely based on Baldr, a god from the real Norse mythology) would be a great way to sell the character’s significance and win over skeptical fans.
Ghost Rider
While Ghost Rider has made an MCU appearance in unsatisfying Ghost Rider movies that haven't aged well.
Johnny Blaze is a guy fighting demons (both real and metaphorical) and with the way the MCU draws emotionally complex characters, they’d probably nail Ghost Rider – and Ryan Gosling would be well-suited to the role.
Norman Osborn
The MCU is in need of a new big bad to build towards to fill that Thanos-sized hole in our hearts. Some fans have suggested Norman Osborn, who is primarily known as the Spider-Man villain the Green Goblin, but has the power, wealth, and ambition to pose a formidable threat beyond your friendly neighborhood web-slinger. Like Lex Luthor, Osborn’s greatest asset (apart from his pumpkin grenades) has always been his shady business prowess.
He built an evil empire on a slick sales pitch. Ryan Gosling has the charm to play Osborn as a snake oil salesman or a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s unlikely that Norman Osborn will be introduced in Thor: Love and Thunder, but hey, we don’t even know that that’s why Gosling took a meeting with Taika Waititi.
Beta Ray Bill
MCU fans have been dying to see Taika Waititi’s hilarious, revitalized Thor butt heads with a big-screen version of Beta Ray Bill. He’s an immensely powerful cosmic character and he’s been a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, who Thor was last seen with, so there’s probably an easy way to fit him into the God of Thunder’s fourth solo outing.
He also wielded Thor’s hammer in the comics, so he’d fit right into the worthiness-oriented plot of Love and Thunder. Someone really special would be needed to bring the obscure and criminally underrated Beta Ray Bill to the screen, so Ryan Gosling might be just the man for the job.
