5. Nathan Fillion
From humble beginnings as a blue collar love interest in 2 Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place (which also launched the career of a young Ryan Reynolds) to the ratings grabbing lead in crime drama Castle, Nathan Fillion has marked out a strong career as a likeable performer, but his work with Whedon really showed that he has the ability to hold the leading man role squarely on his shoulders. Introduced in 2002 and lasting a meagre 14 episodes, Firefly has become a true cult classic and fan favourite over the proceeding decade, and no small part of that comes down to Fillions portrayal of the ships roguish Captain Mal Reynolds. Fillion showed depth in the role, channelling a vintage Han Solo vibe that fans loved. With the cancellation of Firefly, Whedon remained true to his potential leading man, casting him in a recurring role in the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as twisted southern preacher Caleb. After a hiatus of three years, Firefly amazingly returned, this time to the big screen in the shape of Serenity. Again, Fillion came to the fore and seemed to prove that he was a leading man for the future, but unfortunately, the studio didnt make the money it had hoped for and Serenity marked the end of an extraordinary journey for the cast and crew which will go down in the annals of Hollywood. Fillion seemed to be set to be a leading man now, gaining the main role in James (Guardians of the Galaxy) Gunns Slither, until his career slowly took a downward dip, leading the roles in laughable direct to video sequels like White Noise 2. A firm fan favourite, his was the name bandied around by fans for the coveted role of Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern movie, a role that he lost out to former co-star Ryan Reynolds (a stroke of luck some may say, given the way Reynolds career suffered after the abysmal reception the film got). Fillion joined forces with Whedon again in 2008 for Dr Horribles Sing-Along Blog, an Internet musical production that saw him play a conceited superhero opposite Neil Patrick Harris lovelorn super villain. Like most of Whedons work, Dr Horribles has gone on to garner a cult following, with fans clamouring for more (and Whedon hoping that more will be made, even now some five years later). The following year saw the launch of Castle, his first lead TV role since Firefly. Castle follows the titular crime writer (played with joyful glee by Fillion) as he shadows a beautiful New York homicide detective as research for a new series of books based on her. The show has gone from strength to strength, garnering a large following, which includes fans that have followed him from the Whedonverse (helped exponentially by the references to his previous work, especially his Mal Reynolds Halloween costume featured in a season 2 episode which also referenced Buffy). Fillion has eventually gotten the chance to play a superhero, albeit in voice form, when he played Green Lantern in the DC Animated Movie Green Lantern: Emerald Nights, a role he has reprised twice since (or thrice if you include a Robot Chicken appearance). But, Fillions square jaw and leading man swagger shouts out for him to appear in a bigger role, and what could be bigger than an appearance in the eagerly awaited Joss Whedon helmed The Avengers 2.
Who Could He Play: Well, take your pick! Fillion has the range and fan appeal to make almost any role his own, but, for my money, Fillion would make a great Hank Pym. Creator of Pym Particles which allow all manner of size changing shenanigans, as well as genocidal robot Ultron, a major Avengers comic book villain who has been a thorn in the teams side for decades, the inclusion of Pym opens the doors for many future stories and characters (such as the previously mentioned Ultron, but also fan favourite hero Vision). Pyms size altering abilities would best be utilised as his Giant Man alter ego, one that would visually look amazing on the big screen.
Pym has had his ups and downs in the comics; including controversial storylines where he attacked his own wife, but I think the Disney funded Avengers should rightly steer clear of these types of stories. Throughout the past fifty years, Pym has been a stalwart member of the Avengers. In Whedons Avengers, we could have a Pym who is a cocksure scientist, desperate to get in on the action and make a name for himself, someone who wants to be a hero, not because he is drawn to make up for some past misdeed, but because the shine of superhero-dom glares so bright, he craves it. If he could combine the heroics of Mal Reynolds and the playfulness of Rick Castle, we could have a real show stealer here.