If there’s one thing being overly discussed at the moment, it’s most definitely the upcoming Avengers film from Marvel. The Avengers are, without a doubt, Marvel’s team. Sure, we’ve got the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, but there is no team that really says all there is about Marvel except the Avengers. Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man are essentially Marvel’s Holy Trinity of heroes (whereas DC is Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman). And now that Marvel is producing a series of inter-connected super hero films (which is how it should have been done from the start), everyone is wondering who is going to play who? In the past, I discussed the pick for Thor in great detail (and why I thought it could work), and we already have Tony Stark (which we’ve already seen work). We also have our Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Hulk.
But what about the leader of the Avengers? Who is going to shout “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” in the film while the fanboys (like myself) fall over?
At Comic-Con this weekend, actor John Barrowman (most famously known in the geek world for his iconic role as Captain Jack Harkness, leader of Torchwood) announced at the Doctor Who/Torchwood panel that he wanted to play Captain America. He then quickly remarked that because he said this, it “totally won’t.” But you know what? I think it totally should. John Barrowman is actually a ridiculously skilled actor. I don’t know how many readers here have watched Torchwood, but the man has this air about him on the show that no other actor has in the Doctor Whoniverse (except maybe the Doctor himself). In fact, Barrowman/Harkness was the only thing that kept me watching the show episode after episode until the phenomenal third season, of course, and now I just love the show. Torchwood’s third season, or miniseries, showed the kind of character that Barrowman clearly has the ability to play. He can play a guy who is affable but serious, and most importantly a good leader. He can also play a guy who can make the decisions no one else has the ability to make. This is what Steve Rogers is all about. While I can’t say Rogers would make as many jokes as Harkness does (or comment on how attractive a dog is), Rogers is a leader and a revolutionary at his core. Above all suggestions for Cap, Barrowman is the first one that I sat back and say, “Holy frak, this could REALLY work.” Barrowman is the first actor who I’ve considered and WANTED to work. In fact, now I can’t see anyone BUT Barrowman in the suit! And he doesn’t look too bad with the blonde-hair blue-eyes awesome-chin look.
Let’s face it: Marvel is getting real. The Dark Knight changed things. Forever. (Get it?) Most people (not me) are tired of run of the mill superhero films and want something serious. Fantastic Four with Chris Evans and Jessica Alba just isn’t going to cut it anymore! Marvel is going for a whole new era in their film adaptations and not allowing studios to take over and do their own thing while putting Marvel’s name on it. They’re picking actors who have serious chops to them, as well as trying to find directors who aren’t satisfied with the bare minimum. We’ve got Kenneth Branaugh directing Thor, as well as primarily stage actors in the main roles. We’ve got Robert Downey Jr and Edward Norton, both Oscar nominated actors, as our heroes and talented folks like Jeff Bridges, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell, William Hurt, Tim Roth, and Tim Blake Nelson all putting in contributions to the film Marvel U. So who is left for Captain America? We need someone serious, someone talented, and someone who can really take a role and make it an icon. We also need someone with the appropriate build who is big and muscular but not a behemoth of a man. We need a man like John Barrowman. Leo DeCaprio? Brad Pitt? No thank you. I’ll take my red, white and blue with a little more talent, thanks.
So what did I, the humble owner of Multiversity Comics and John Barrowman fanboy did? I made a petition. That’s right – all those “We want so and so to be so and so” online petitions that seemingly never work? I made another one. I made one that I want to work. So sign it, send it around, and let’s see if we can’t ignite a little spark in someone’s office. Let’s see if we can get just one person involved with the development of the film to say, “You know? This Torchwood: Children Of Earth DVD is really good. Somebody call this guy’s agent!” Let’s see if we can get someone awesome to play one of the greatest comic book characters of all time.
You’ve got your homework. GO!
