Vin Diesel’s Voice Acting Skills Prove He Could Nail Another MCU Role
Vin Diesel currently has a voice-only role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but is it possible that role could be expanded?
The MCU finds itself as a crossroads currently as they move into a new phase of movies and streaming shows. With more characters sure to be added in the next few years, there could be multiple opportunities for an actor as talented as Diesel to join in the fun.
The question is, what role would he play? There’s one role he might be able to play very well, particularly if his voiceover skills are any indication.
Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot
Diesel has provided the voiceover talent for Groot since the first Guardians of the Galaxy film in 2014. In the films, he only has one line that the character repeats over and over again: “I am Groot.”
While that sounds like he could have recorded a single line and been set for multiple films, it’s not actually the case. Each delivery of the same line has its own different inflection.
In Groot’s language, every time he utters “I am Groot,” it means something different. It all depends on the situation and context. Bearing that in mind, Diesel had to record the same phrase repeatedly, each with a different tone or delivery. He brings about as much nuance to one role as one can when they’re saying the same three words.
While the role may seem somewhat small based on Diesel’s star power, Groot has quickly become a very popular character. When Groot was resurrected as a much younger version of the character in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, the filmmakers used a digitally altered version of Diesel’s voice to make him sound much younger. Now, Diesel’s vocals have to be considered a big part of the MCU lore.
If Diesel is this good in one voiceover role, who’s to say he can’t play another?
Who is The Thing?
According to the Marvel website, The Thing (also known by his real name, Ben Grimm) is a member of The Fantastic 4 alongside Reed Richards as well as Sue and Johnny Storm. The Thing essentially looks like he’s been carved out of a rock and possesses superhuman strength.
Despite his gruff exterior, however, he’s a do-gooder, using his powers to help the innocent alongside the rest of his superhero team. He was portrayed by Michael Chiklis in the 2005 film adaptation and Jamie Bell in the 2015 version.
Disney recently acquired the rights to multiple Fox properties, including the Marvel superheroes they’ve licensed for films. Among those characters is the Fantastic 4, and Marvel has already confirmed that they’ll eventually bring them into the MCU with other classic teams like the X-Men.
Marvel fans have already worked themselves into a frenzy talking about dream casting scenarios for the group.
Could Vin Diesel nail yet another role in the MCU?
Screen Rant compiled a list of dream castings for the next phase of the MCU. There were some interesting suggestions among them, but the number one suggestion on the list was Vin Diesel as The Thing. There’s a number of reasons why this could work, including:
- The Thing has a tough yet likable persona. If Diesel’s performances in The Fast and the Furious franchise are any indication, he can definitely pull this off.
- He possesses the physicality to look like The Thing. While there would no doubt be some amount of CGI or costuming to enhance his look, Diesel already has the build needed to look convincing.
- As noted above, Diesel’s voiceover talent is already on full display in the MCU. If the role involved heavy CGI, Diesel could no doubt bring a great performance using only his voice.
At this point, it’s anyone guess who will play The Thing, but if Marvel is looking for a way to get Diesel on screen, this could be it.
