The two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo revealed his interest in joining the MCU as a villain. Most famously known for Fear the Walking Dead, The Color Purple, and Euphoria, Domingo boarded the Marvel Studios bandwagon last year as the voice of Norman Osborn in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He is expected to reprise his villainous role in next year's Season 2 on Disney+.
Colman Domingo spoke exclusively with The Direct while promoting his upcoming movie, Dead Man's Wire, and discussed his prospects of joining the MCU, revealing one condition for any villain he could play.
Before delving into Domingo's latest comments, some context is necessary regarding the 2024 rumors that the Sing Sing star was eyed to replace Jonathan Majors as Kang after the Loki actor was fired due to his assault conviction.
Domingo addressed the rumors on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, confirming that he met with Marvel Studios and "talked openly about the landscape of Marvel or even the Kang rumors." That said, the actor didn't seem eager to take over Kang as he would "want to build something from the ground up:
"I think there had been conversations of me coming to Marvel in some way. So we did follow up with a sit-down meeting with the heads of Marvel. So we did do that, and we talked openly about the landscape of Marvel or even the Kang rumors. But I feel like I want a role to be mine, whatever that role is, whatever I develop. Something didn’t feel right of me, like, ‘Oh, would I replace someone?’ No, I want to build something from the ground up that’s my own."
When asked by The Direct what type of character he would hope to play in the MCU, the rising star said he thinks he is "meant to play a villain" and would hope to have the audience "pull a tear" for the antagonist:
The Direct: "Earlier this year, you mentioned that you wanted to build something from the ground up if you were to ever join the MCU. Are there any particular characters, or even just types, that you would love to play in the Marvel Universe and make it your own?"
Domingo: "Villains. I think I'm meant to play a villain. I don't know why — and I think I'm such a lovable person (laughs) — but I find it's more interesting to play a villain. I think it's more complex. I think the idea of getting the audience to pull a tear on a villain is interesting to me.
It seems this desire to "tap into their humanity" and explore their motivations may be a condition for Domingo to join the MCU as a villain, noting that he finds their complications to be "more interesting than just a heroic dude:"
"Because for me, it's like, 'Oh, then I can tap into their humanity.' And you find out why they're broken, or why they're hurting people, or why they feel like they want to be empowered and put their foot on someone's neck. So, I think that's more complicated, more interesting than just a heroic dude, just a hero. I mean, I don't know, I feel like... Let's make it happen. Let's do it."
Having just voiced the Cowardly Lion in Wicked: For Good and starred alongside Glen Powell in The Running Man, Domingo will appear next year in Euphoria Season 3, Michael, Steven Spielberg's The Dish, and more.
Colman Domingo Needs to Bring His Norman Osborn to Live-Action
Interestingly, Marvel Studios is reportedly "planning to introduce the MCU version of Norman Osborn" in a future project. This comes after Willem Dafoe reprised his Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Domingo brought an Osborn Variant to animation in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
As Marvel Studios will be eager to put its own stamp on Spider-Man's most famous villain, Domingo could be the perfect choice to bring Osborn to the MCU proper.
While race-swapping a legendary villain will always be divisive, Domingo proved on Disney+ that, even just in voice, he can bring a certain gravitas to the role. Such an endeavor to make the MCU's take on the Osborns unique could also mesh well with the actor's villainous hopes to "build something from the ground up."
Alternatively, Domingo could take a magical route as one of Doctor Strange's most powerful sorcerer villains, Brother Voodoo. But if he were open to abandoning his antagonistic hopes, cosmic powerhouse hero Blue Marvel could be a fit, or there's no doubt he could bring great heart to Jefferson Davis (Miles Morales' father)
