2. Anthony Head
Everybodys favourite librarian, Anthony Stewart Head garnered a surprising following based on the infamous Nescafe coffee adverts he appeared in, but Buffy was really the thing that launched him to the masses in the States. His portrayal of stuffy, pompous Giles was warm (his obvious devotion to his wards in Buffy and the Scooby Gang), but at times, Giles new to do what needed to be done (like killing Ben, whose body was shared by Evil God Glory in season 5). In a show filled with notable absent fathers, Giles became the father figure for Buffy, Willow, Xander, and all the rest of the Gang. For a long time, he was the only Grown-up who was aware of the world Buffy inhibited, and, after the shocking death of Joyce Summers, he was the only adult left in Buffys world. After the seven year run on Buffy, Anthony worked solidly, mainly in British television. His role of Prime Minister in Little Britain was hilarious and memorable, and he has shown a majestic and powerful side to his performance as Uther Pendragon in BBCs Merlin. Other notable television roles have included Free Agents (both UK & US versions), as well as Sold, The Invisibles, Manchild, and a memorable turn as a villainous headmaster in Doctor Who. One of Heads most memorable post Buffy roles came in the dark horror musical Repo: The Genetic Opera, where he got to stretch his vocal chords as well as his acting chops. Although Head has not appeared regularly in Whedons other projects, its not through lack of trying. Head was one of the original Shakespeare performers and was originally set to play Leonato in Much Ado, a role that instead went to Clark Gregg (the newest clan Whedon addition). There have also been persistent attempts to get a Buffy spin off going with Head as the lead. A co-BBC production, Ripper (Giles adolescent nickname) has been in the pipeline for years now, but with Joss becoming a big name in Hollywood, it is sadly looking less likely that Ripper will ever see the light of day.
Who Could He Play: Whilst many see Head as a lovable caring father figure, Id love him to channel his inner evil and play a villain. Obviously hes not going to be some muscle bound man monster, able to crush buildings in a single fist, but the Avengers have a myriad of villains who have worked behind the scenes, manipulating situations to their nefarious advantages. And with that, I think Anthony Head should play none other than Count Nefaria.
Now, whilst the original Nefaria was a superhuman Italian Count who originally made the world think The Avengers had gone bad, I think we should take some filmic liabilities with the character here. Make him a self-proclaimed Count via some distant relation, maybe a corrupt ambassador, but stick with the idea that he warps the publics perception of the team for his own ends, forcing them to fight to clear their names.