After a series of stunning appearances during the ongoing final season of Better Call Saul, seminal actor Giancarlo Esposito has now shared key details regarding his ongoing talks with Marvel Studios — and also shared his dream Marvel role with fans.

Esposito was captured by TikTok handle coundownsitygeeks while at the TJH Superhero Car Show & Comic Con, hosted last weekend in San Antonio, Texas. During a fan question session, a lucky visitor asked the actor about his relationship with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he replied in kind:

“I have not worked for Marvel yet, I’ve been in the room with them and talked with them,” said Esposito, to a crowd that was thrilled to learn that they might see the actor in a future Marvel film. “So… there’s been talk of Magneto, there’s been talk of Dr. Freeze, there has been talk… of Dr. Doom. And there is Professor X.”

Let’s take a further look at these iconic roles, and explore a few more that Esposito may be perfect for:

Professor X

Let’s address the elephant in the room — during his address, Esposito said that his preferred choice of an MCU role to play would be none other than Charles Xavier, the leader of the X-Men.

While some fans feel that Patrick Stewart, who has held the role for over twenty years, will return as the professor in future films, Stewart himself cleverly sidestepped the question in a recent Variety interview, choosing to refer to the character rather than himself.

“Charles Xavier? Yeah. There may be,” he said regarding the role’s return to the MCU. “You know, the whole X-Men comic series is so huge, so vast, there might be an opportunity in which he comes

back. We’ll see.” By not referring directly to himself, Stewart may have revealed that Marvel is open to recasting the role — especially considering the Multiverse Saga’s storylines. Here’s a bit of fanart if you’re curious as to what a switch in the casting would look like:

If anything, Esposito’s Xavier would be very exciting to watch, and offer the actor a chance to shake off the villain tag and embrace his inner superhero — or even better, give us a version of Charles Xavier that’s flawed, complex, and perhaps even a little terrifying.

Magneto

Another strongly rumored casting puts Esposito in the boots of the Master of Magnetism himself, Erik Lehnsherr AKA Magneto. While the role has always drawn the attention of acting heavyweights such as Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender, Esposito could lend a unique lens of his own, drawing upon his strong experience with charismatic, purpose-driven villains — much in tune with his previous Star Wars character, Moff Gideon, and his new video-game role as Far Cry antagonist, Antón Castillo.

There is the point, however, that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the character with a white Jewish man in mind — something that’s dissuaded groups of fans against the casting.

Dr. Doom

Perhaps the Esposito role I’m rooting the most for, Dr. Doom, panders heavily towards Esposito’s typecasting worries — the actor has, after all, played 3 orderly, ambitious villains in his last big roles for Better Call Saul, The Mandalorian, and The Boys.

While Doom is unlikely to show us a very different range of acting from Esposito, it’ll certainly allow him to explore his biggest strengths on a scale we’ve never seen before — highlighting Doom’s mysterious, powerful presence as the big-bad for Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four film.

Mr. Freeze…?

Sure, this may have been a Freudian slip-on Esposito’s part — the actor was asked about Marvel roles, while Freeze is a classic DC/Batman villain.

That said, Freeze is one of the most highly-requested follow-ups to Matt Reeves’ first outing with The Batman — and yet again, seems perfectly suited to Esposito’s talents. The cold, calculating villain is shaped by a tragic backstory that moves even Batman — allowing for an exciting showdown between Pattinson’s latest big role and Esposito’s first foray into the DC universe.

Before diving into fan casting theories, Esposito launched himself into a passionate speech on inspiration and the role of creative projects such as the MCU and Star Wars in promoting inclusivity.

“Future leaders are in this room right now,” said Esposito. “We want to inspire each other, we want to lift each other up.

What happens when that happens, is then we actually do have a vision and a dream for a new world.”

Lead Image: Netflix