Neil Patrick Harris Can Play Any MCU Role He Wants, Fans Agree
Neil Patrick Harris is a man of many talents as he’s not only a great comedic actor, but he’s also a great dramatic actor, singer, and dancer, too. For example, while he showed off his comedic chops on How I Met Your Mother, he also showed off his dramatic abilities in Gone Girl. And, while his film acting career has been successful, he’s also been successful on Broadway with his title role in productions like Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This potent combo of talents has made him a very in-demand actor. For Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, this combo also means that Neil Patrick Harris can really play any characters he wants.
A quick look at Neil Patrick Harris’ career
Since Harris’ career spans decades on TV, movies, and stage productions, it’s difficult to summarize all that Harris has done for the entertainment industry. One of his first breakout roles, however, was probably in the 1997 film, Starship Troopers, when Harris played an intelligence officer in the military.
After that, with movies like Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Harris has largely stayed in the comedy sphere, both in movies and on TV. However, Gone Girl showed everyone that Harris can play a serious role, and that’s partially the reason why he got cast in the fourth Matrix movie.
The Matrix franchise is obviously a major franchise, but the MCU is the biggest film franchise right now, so naturally, many fans want to see Harris join the MCU. And, due to his success as a comedic actor and as a dramatic actor, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the roles that he can play.
Neil Patrick Harris as a superhero
Since Harris is so well-known for his comedic roles, naturally, in the MCU, this means that many fans on Reddit think that he can play a superhero really well. Marvel characters are almost always making quips and funny remarks, and this would be something that Harris would simply be great at.
For example, The Fantastic Four are part of Marvel now, and fans on Reddit think that Harris could play one of two roles on the team. Harris, at 47, is old enough to play Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic. However, since he still looks pretty young, he could also play Johnny Storm, too. Johnny Storm is the real name of the Human Torch, a character that’s been played by Chris Evans and by Michael B. Jordan in the past.
Obviously though, there are tons of other Marvel superheroes that Harris could play, and fans have spent years dreaming about that. However, ever since his role in Gone Girl, fans have also started imagining Harris playing the supervillain, too.
Neil Patrick Harris as a supervillain
Many fans still want to see Harris join the MCU as a good guy, but many fans on Reddit can also imagine him as the bad guy. Two of the most popular suggestions have been the characters of Arcade and Wizard. Both of them are supervillains, and while they’re pretty different in terms of what they can do, they are also characters that Harris could play well due to his comedy and dramatic chops.
As one fan on Reddit said, Arcade and Wizard are supervillains that are, “more on the ‘outlandish’ side of villainy.” This is exactly the type of character that Harris has played before, as his role in Harold & Kumar was essentially an outlandish villain who did insane stuff for laughs.
But once again, since the X-Men and the Fantastic Four franchise are back in Marvel’s hands, there are a large number of other supervillains that Harris can play, too. Fans seem to agree though that he’ll do a great job at whatever roles he could get in the MCU.
