MCU Star Addresses Possible Confusion From New Marvel Role

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MCU Star Addresses Possible Confusion From New Marvel Role

Highlights

  • Marvel actor playing multiple roles in upcoming Venom film shrugs off fan confusion concerns.
  • Chiwetel Ejiofor joins Venom as a military soldier tracking Eddie and Venom, speculations place him as a villain Orwell Taylor.
  • Despite appearing in the MCU as Karl Mordo, Ejiofor is enthusiastic about his new role in Venom movie.

As a seasoned gamer and longtime Marvel fan, I must say that the news of Chiwetel Ejiofor joining the Venom franchise as a military soldier tracking Eddie Brock and Venom has me absolutely thrilled! After all, who wouldn’t be excited to see this talented actor bring yet another compelling character to life in the MCU?

In the upcoming movie “Venom: The Last Dance”, an actor who previously appeared in “Doctor Strange” will take on a different character. When asked about potential fan confusion regarding this dual role, he simply suggested they watch and see for themselves.

The comic books from Marvel have led to numerous films, such as “Venom,” which features an intelligent alien symbiote known as Venom, who inhabits a human named Eddie Brock. The film series started with “Venom” in 2018 and produced two follow-ups, namely “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (2021) and the upcoming “Venom: The Last Dance” (2024). In the next Venom movie, an actor who has previously been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a narcissistic sorcerer will join the cast. He is reportedly set to portray a villain in this film, and he appears excited about his new role within the MCU, despite potential confusion among fans due to his dual roles in the franchise.

In 2016, Chiwetel Ejiofor first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Karl Mordo, an apprentice sorcerer under The Ancient One (played by Tilda Swinton), in the movie “Doctor Strange”. He reappeared as Mordo in the 2022 sequel, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”. Initially planned to meet his demise at the hands of Scarlet Witch in “Doctor Strange 2”, this scene was later cut. As a result, Mordo continues to live within the MCU. Ejiofor has also been cast alongside Tom Hardy for Sony Pictures’ upcoming film, “Venom: The Last Dance”. In this movie, he portrays a military soldier tracking Eddie and Venom. A scene from the trailer shows him capturing a symbiote. Although his character in “Venom” hasn’t been officially named yet, there are whispers that he might play Orwell Taylor, a potentially villainous character. During an interview with Josh Horowitz, Ejiofor discussed his new Marvel role and addressed concerns about fans becoming puzzled by his dual roles within the MCU.

Ejiofor said:

I feel the best thing to do there is just watch the film.

He added that important conversations happen after everybody watches and engages in the film. For Ejiofor, pre-engagement convos are not as significant at this time. Instead, he shared his experience working with British screenwriter Kelly Marcel, who penned the movie, and Hardy, who headlined the film. He even complimented Hardy for portraying Venom remarkably. He said, “It was fantastic to work with Kelly [Marcel] in that world and to engage with a really special character that Tom [Hardy] has danced with. When you see on set when Venom arrives, you’re like, ‘Wow.’ It’s a real sort of moment.”

Regarding Mordo’s character development in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, Ejiofor expressed surprise but found it intriguing. In a pivotal scene, Scarlet Witch slaughtered members of the Illuminati, including Peggy Carter, Blackagar Boltagon, Maria Rambeau, Reed Richards, and Charles Xavier. Miraculously, Mordo survived, contrary to original plans as suggested by an early concept art for Doctor Strange 2, which depicted him among the deceased. Ejiofor commented, “I sensed there could be something exceptionally engaging about where this might lead. In general, I appreciate this breadth. I like the idea that these characters and universes can be delved into in such remarkable ways.”

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Venom and Doctor Strange inhabit separate universes. Although fans might be puzzled by Ejiofor playing two distinct characters in the MCU, it won’t create much confusion if they accept that he plays different roles in separate films as they have no connection to each other. This scenario is not uncommon for Marvel, as actors like Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. have portrayed various characters in their movies. For example, Evans played Johnny Storm/Human Torch before taking on the role of Captain America, which he reprised in Deadpool & Wolverine. An even more surprising casting switch was Downey Jr.’s, who starred as Tony Stark (Iron Man) but later joined the MCU as Doctor Doom for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This role change left many, including his Iron Man co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, perplexed, with her asking if he had turned into a villain. Downey Jr.’s debut as Doctor Doom is expected in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Regarding Ejiofor’s new MCU role, it would be best to accept it without expecting any direct connection to his previous character.

Venom: The Last Dance will premiere on October 25, 2024.

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2024-08-13 15:23