13 Great Actors Completely Wasted In MCU Movies
Hail to the talents who deserved a hell of a lot better...
Given how much money Marvel Studios clearly spend on assembling some of the most impressive casts in the history of cinema (to the point where they can call on Matt Damon for a tiny gag-cameo), you'd think that they'd be careful with how they use the talents available to them.
Now, obviously, balancing casts with lots of very good actors will inevitably come with some compromise in terms of character development and screen-time for balance, but the studio would surely focus on making sure their most gifted actors get something substantial enough to justify their inclusion. Otherwise, all they've done is give a great actor an unsuitable, inferior role that could have gone to someone else, freeing up the original star for a better role further down the line.
Sadly, hindsight tells us that that clearly wasn't always the case with the MCU, as there are some incredibly gifted actors who have - for one reason or another - looked completely wasted in the roles they were given. Whether that's because of a problem with the material or just miscasting, it's happened quite a few times.
Some actors have been used to perfection, of course, but others - whose talents deserved a lot better - really weren't...
13. Michael Stuhlbarg - Doctor Strange
The Role: Dr Nicodemus West
As fans of Call Me By Your Name, The Shape Of Water, Fargo and pretty much everything he's starred in to date will attest, Michael Stuhlbarg is an incredible actor with range that makes diverse roles in Steve Jobs, Seven Psychopaths and Men In Black III somehow all coexist effortlessly on the same CV.
So adding him to Doctor Strange's cast always looked like a smart move. It's just a shame that he's essentially lumbered with a nothing role who essentially exists to make the maverick surgeon look better. He's no more than a narrative patsy, who we're encouraged to like even less than the arrogant, aloof Strange (which actually works because of his complete lack of depth) and it's almost criminal how little an actor of his ability is given to do.
In the grand history of the MCU's unfortunate beta male complex, he might be the most egregious.