The Brutalist star Adrien Brody has revealed his one condition for taking on a role in the MCU, and his interest in joining Marvel could finally see him debut in a superhero franchise almost 20 years since his missed Joker casting in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Since putting himself on the map with roles in movies such as The Thin Red Line, King Kong, The Pianist and The Grand Budapest H๏τel, among many others, Adrien Brody has become one of the biggest names in modern-day cinema. Now, a role in the MCU may be on the horizon for Adrien Brody.
Adrien Brody has now revealed that he would be open to joining the MCU, but only under one condition. Not only would this casting bring even more remarkable star-power into the MCU, but this could redeem Brody from his missed attempt to portray the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which ended up starring the late Heath Ledger as the Clown Prince of Crime. Any number of upcoming MCU projects in the Multiverse Saga and beyond could debut Adrien Brody, as long as Marvel sticks to the actor’s only condition.
Adrien Brody Is Open To Joining The MCU (But Has 1 Condition)
Adrien Brody Needs The Right Tone For His MCU Debut
Following the premiere of his recent movie, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Adrien Brody sat down with Josh Horowitz of the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast and opened up about his relationship with superhero movies. Brody noted that he would happily join the MCU, as long as he could work with a filmmaker that elevates him and “gives [him] space to do something vastly different in that world.” Brody’s Marvel role depends on an MCU project having a tone that the actor can relate to, which presents a fantastic challenge for Marvel Studios.
Like I said, if I was presented with an opportunity to play an interesting character with a filmmaker that elevated me and gave me space to do something vastly different in that world, it sounds amazing. You have this wonderful machine [with Marvel]. [They] know all the techniques and tools [and] stand behind these movies and they’ve done something I think is enormous. People love them. Who wouldn’t want to be part of something beloved? It would take a tone I related to.
Marvel Studios has often come under scrutiny for ignoring tone and genre in its movies and TV shows to better fit the so-called “Marvel Formula.” However, there have been many MCU projects that have played with tone and brought something new to the franchise, such as Eternals, WandaVision, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Echo and more. If Marvel continues this trend, Adrien Brody might get his wish and could actually debut in the MCU, which could make up for his loss in 2008’s The Dark Knight.
Adrien Brody’s Missed Joker Role Makes Casting Him In A Marvel Movie Even More Interesting
Adrien Brody Was Almost The Joker In The Dark Knight
While speaking to Josh Horowitz, Adrien Brody elaborated on the fact that he was in the running to portray the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight’s executive producer Charles Roven noted that the late Heath Ledger was the only actor seriously considered for the role of the Joker, and Adrien Brody reiterated that he “wasn’t close” in the casting process. Brody did, however, reveal that the Joker in a Nolan movie would have been his “dream role,” as this would have fit perfectly into his superhero movie brief.
Christopher Nolan is the kind of visionary director who would attract Adrien Brody to join the MCU, having developed highbrow movies including Interstellar, Inception, Tenet and Oppenheimer. The fact that Adrien Brody considered the Joker, under the direction of Christopher Nolan, to be his dream role suggests that he’d be open to playing all manner of demanding roles in the MCU. If Marvel creates the right conditions for Brody’s introduction into the MCU, it would be incredible to see the Academy Award winner make his superhero franchise debut.
What MCU Releases Best Fit Adrien Brody’s Marvel Movie Condition
Adrien Brody Could Appear In Many Upcoming MCU Projects
Marvel Studios has been making a noticeable effort in recent years to branch out into new genres, styles and tones, and has brought in more unique, visionary filmmakers to headline the MCU’s projects. Most notably, Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao developed Eternals in her signature style, while Sam Raimi brought his horror-inspired influences to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. MCU movies by the likes of Ryan Coogler, Jake Schreier and Julius Onah will soon be joining the roster, which suggests Marvel intends to continue this pattern.
There are many MCU movies and TV shows that haven’t yet been announced, but it’s very likely that Marvel has already been in contact with new directors to develop upcoming projects. Adrien Brody could be included in any number of these projects, while the discussion around a tonal change for the MCU’s as-yet-unannounced Thor 5 could fit Brody’s brief perfectly. Following Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel is expected to explore a huge new slate of mutant storylines, creating many new opportunities for Adrien Brody to possibly join the MCU’s new X-Men franchise.
Who Adrien Brody Could Play In The MCU
Marvel Has A Wealth Of Characters Perfect For Adrien Brody
There are many characters from Marvel Comics that Adrien Brody would be incredible at portraying in the live-action MCU, and he has been the subject of some brilliant fan-casts for a number of years. Perhaps most notably, Adrien Brody has been a very popular fan-cast for Magneto in the MCU, and given his dramatic background and Jewish descent, he would be an inspired choice for the Master of Magnetism in the MCU. Being cast as Magneto could give Brody a huge future with Marvel, and allow him to put his own spin on one of the legendary comic book characters.
Magneto was previously played by Ian McKellen and Michael Fᴀssbender in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise, neither of whom are of Jewish descent, even though Magneto is a well-known Jewish character and Holocaust survivor. There are hopes this backstory will be retained in the MCU.
The fact that Adrien Brody was previously interested in playing the Joker suggests he may prefer a villainous role in the MCU. This could support a Magneto fan-casting, while he could also take on roles such as Norman Osborn, Nightmare, Eric O’Grady or any number of other Marvel villains or antiheroes. Brody has also been the subject of variant Bruce Banner fan-casts, which means he could appear as an alternate, and perhaps more dramatic, version of the Hulk. Whomever Adrien Brody plays in the MCU, there’s no doubt he’d be a huge ᴀsset to the franchise.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Captain America: Brave New World
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February 14, 2025
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Thunderbolts*
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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