One of the villain roles has officially been cast for Marvel’s upcoming Captain America: Civil War, and it’s not you who might expect. No, not the Winter Soldier again. And not Tony Stark either, despite what the Civil War subtitle might suggest. It’s a different character entirely, and the studio has tapped Rush and Inglourious Basterds star Daniel Bruhl to bring a Captain America 3 villain to life in the highly anticipated Marvel follow-up. Additionally, another report indicates that Bruhl will actually be playing the main villain in Doctor Strange, and a few other familiar Marvel Cinematic Universe faces are expected to return for Captain America 3. More after the jump.
Marvel officially announced Bruhl’s casting today before any of the trades could get a jump on it. Here’s what Marvel Studios president and Civil War producer Kevin Feige had to say about the casting:
“With Daniel's ability to deliver intense, nuanced performances, we knew we had found yet another great actor to share the screen with some of our biggest heroes.”
While Marvel obviously didn’t reveal the nature of Bruhl’s role, Variety chimed in to say that he will be playing one of the film’s villains and is also potentially the top villain in Marvel's Doctor Strange, which arrives the following November in 2016 and would mark a reunion of sorts between Bruhl and his The Fifth Estate co-star Benedict Cumberbatch, who is in negotiations to lead Strange for Marvel. Which comics baddie could be a top villain for Doctor Strange and also an antagonist for Cap? I expect those more well-versed in the Marvel Comics lore than I will be able to speculate with a greater degree of expertise on that front (head to the comments, folks!).
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo—who helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier—have previously said this third Captain America would continue to explore the Winter Soldier storyline, but the cast is already starting to get a bit crowded so I’ll be very curious to see how Winter Soldier’s arc is approached. Deadline adds that Sebastian Stan will be back, and Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson are also expected to take part in the Civil War festivities.
When Marvel announced the subtitle of Civil War and that Robert Downey Jr. would be co-starring in the picture alongside Chris Evans’ titular hero, many assumed this meant the film would be exploring the antagonistic relationship between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers that comes to a head in the comics. I’ve no doubt that Marvel will indeed be pitting Iron Man and Cap against each other at some point, but thus far the studio has never really done a straight adaptation of a comics storyline, so I imagine they’re putting their own spin on Civil War as well.
Bruhl is a fantastic actor so he should make for a fine addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he’s the second new actor to join the cast of Captain America 3 after Marvel also announced that Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther would be making his first appearance in this film as well. Production is expected to get underway early next year in anticipation of the film’s May 6, 2016 release date.
