13 Great Actors Completely Wasted In MCU Movies
8. Mads Mikkelsen - Doctor Strange
The Role: Kaecilius
When you're casting villains in Hollywood, there should always be a conversation about the availability of Mads Mikkelsen. He has a very tangible brand of intensity and menace that seems to ooze out of him even when he's not delivering lines and his charismatic performance as Hannibal Lecter proved his gold standard status.
So when he was unveiled as the major villain for Doctor Strange, it looked like an exciting get for the MCU. And while he certainly looked the part (especially with the excellent eye make-up effects), a villain has to be more than just walking around ominously. Especially when you have an actor as gifted in subtlety as Mikkelsen.
Ultimately, Kaecilius ended up being a mostly paint-by-numbers zealot villain, and there's nothing in the role that suggests anyone could have played the role. In that respect, Mikkelsen feels wasted: he's the kind of actor who deserves a role as charitably suited to him as Doctor Strange was to Benedict Cumberbatch.