As if the cast of the two-part Avengers: Infinity War wasn’t already chockfull of super-dudes and -dudettes, word came yesterday that Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage was in talks for a major role in the upcoming epic featuring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Of course, fans are now speculating as to who he could be playing — which of the many, many Marvel characters who have yet to appear in the MCU might Dinklage be up for?
There are certainly a bunch of options here, and while we know very little about how Infinity War will play out onscreen, we do have the comics version of the mad Titan Thanos’ hunt for the six Infinity gems (or stones, if you will) to look to as a guide. That said, read on for some of the characters we think Peter Dinklage could be playing in Avengers: Infinity War…
1. Pip the Trol
It’s a bit obvious to cast Dinklage in a stereotypical little person role, especially after his previous comic-book turn in X-Men: Days of Future Past had him playing a character from the comics where size was a non-issue, but the fact is Pip the Troll is actually a key player in the more cosmic stories of the Marvel universe. The frequent sidekick of/comic relief to Adam Warlock, Pip was created by Marvel’s master of the space opera, Jim Starlin. He was present for Starlin’s trio of Infinity crossovers, The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade, which of course the Marvel movies will take their cue from. A hard-drinking, stogie-chomping alien with a quip at the ready, in many ways Pip is not dissimilar to Dinklage’s GOT character, Tyrion Lannister.
2. MODOK
Many of us have been dying for years to see the insanely weird character that is MODOK in live-action, and it seems like the Infinity War movies would be a great place to drop the large-headed, teensy-body challenged character. After super soldiers and androids and giant-men and spider-men, a MODOK (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch. Created by the legendary team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1967, where he battles Captain America himself, MODOK has long been a thorn in the side of the Marvel heroes on the printed page (and in animation). While he isn’t particularly relevant to the Infinity War story in the comics, he is a character that fans would love to see onscreen, and directors Anthony and Joe Russo are certainly fans. If Dinklage were to play MODOK, you have to figure the Russos would use mo-cap to achieve the character (unless they severely redesign his look, though what’s the fun in that?).
3. Starfox
Did you know that Thanos had a brother? And that he was an Avenger? And that his name was Starfox?! Well he does, and he was, and it is! The MCU has already maintained Thanos’ family ties with both Gamora and Nebula, so why not give him a brother as well? Like Pip, Starfox (a.k.a. Eros) like to party as much as be heroic, though his particular source of enjoyment tends to come from the opposite sex. His Eternal powers of persuasion come in handy in this regard, though it’s his ties to Thanos that would make him an interesting counterbalance in Infinity War.
4. The Watcher
It’s not even clear that Marvel Studios has the film rights to this classic character, since Uatu the Watcher originated in 1963 in the pages of Fantastic Four, which of course falls under the purview of 20th Century Fox when it comes to feature films. But still, the Watcher is an iconic figure in Marvel’s cosmic pantheon, with Uatu fated to always “watch” humanity’s struggles from afar, an extra-terrestrial observer who can never interfere with mankind’s events (usually, anyway), but only record what he sees. If the character does indeed belong to Fox, it wouldn’t be unheard of for the two studios to make a deal to swap the Watcher for some other minor player. And if they did so, Uatu would certainly bring a new and strange element to the ever-growing MCU.
5. Mephisto
This would likely be another mo-cap or perhaps even all-digital character where Dinklage just provides the voice, but the demon Mephisto is not only a major Marvel villain, but also a player in the Infinity-related comics, a sort of underling to Thanos (for a time, anyway, until he starts giving his master purposefully bad advice…). While a red, pointy-eared demon guy may have seemed unthinkable for Marvel Studios back when Iron Man came out, we now have had Dormammu in Doctor Strange and will soon get Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, meaning Mephisto could fit in quite nicely in Infinity War. Thanos is also going to need someone to talk to when he’s not fighting Avengers, and a wry, Dinklage-voiced Mephisto could fit the bill.
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