In the same year that Disney completed its acquisition of Fox Studios back in 2019, X-Men: Dark Phoenix came to theaters as one of the last blockbuster releases under Fox's Marvel banner. Featuring Sophie Turner in the leading role of Jean Grey and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Dark Phoenix also boasted the talents of Jessica Chastain as the movie's big villain Vuk.
Although this Jean Grey-centric movie was meant to be the last of Fox's X-Men movies regardless of success or acclaim, Dark Phoenix came in as a major disappointment for fans and critics alike. In fact, Chastain herself even commmented that it was a difficult experience to make the movie. Thankfully, this didn't seem deter her from wanting to return to the Marvel world someday, particularly with so many major MCU projects on the horizon.
With dozens of heroic and villainous roles set to need actors and actresses for MCU movies and Disney+ shows over the next few years, there should be an opportunity for Chastain to take on a new Marvel role. However, if she were to return, the actress has ideas for what exactly she wants to do in a Marvel Studios production.
Chastain's Conditions for Marvel Return
Via Twitter user @bestofchastains, Jessica Chastain shared the conditions under which she would play another comic book movie character with Marvel Studios.
After playing the villain in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Chastain expressed an interest in playing "a villain than a comic book hero" again due to her opinion that "villains have more fun."
Additionally, the seasoned actress prefers it to be a big bad "that's already been established in the comic books" rather than being an original character, and she only wants to play the role as "one-and-done" rather than take on Marvel's classic multi-film deal:
"I think that I would be more interested in playing a villain than a comic book hero, because I think villains have more fun, honestly.
I would love it to be a villain that’s already established in the comic books and not created, you know, like a new thing. And also, I would love it to be a villain that you don't have to sign such a deal for. I'm kind of a one-and-done kind of girl, so it would be great to play a character that was naughty and then would disappear."
Chastain Wants a One-Time Marvel Redo
Jessica Chastain has built an impressive resume over the last two decades, earning two Academy Award nominations in the process. However, it doesn't appear that she's in line to be one of the MCU's next longtime stars like Secret Invasion's Emilia Clarke, which seems to be fine by Chastain.
The Dark Phoenix actress was previously in the running for the role of Christine Palmer in 2016's Doctor Strange, although she turned it down in favor of wanting to play a more powerful character down the road. Now, she seems to have narrowed that idea down to playing some kind of villain, for which there should be plenty of opportunities in future Phase 4 projects coming to the MCU.
With Chastain's Marvel interest once again out in the open, it now seems to be only a matter of finding the right role for her to play. With nearly a dozen projects coming in 2022 and close to two dozen more that are waiting for an announcement from Marvel Studios, it shouldn't be a surprise to see Chastain officially join the MCU in the foreseeable future.
