The John Wick star has only played the DC hero Constantine in the Francis Lawrence directorial.
The Internet’s favorite human being Keanu Reeves is one of the few A-listers who is yet to completely be cast as a superhero in Marvel or DC. Though the actor once portrayed the DC superhero, John Constantine, he has not been a regular in the world of shared cinematic universes.
The actor recently expressed his fascination with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its scope, while hinting that he would love to be a part of the film franchise. The John Wick star mentioned that he loves the vision and creative direction of the team behind Marvel. Hence, should the Matrix actor choose to be a part of the MCU, here are four characters that he could play and rule the box office.
Gambit
Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The mutant Gambit has already been portrayed once on film by Taylor Kitsch in the critically panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Kitsch’s performance was forgettable at best in a film that was filled with misses more than hits. While Channing Tatum was at one point attached to a solo Gambit film, Keanu Reeves would be perfect to play the mutant thief in the MCU. The character is known for his superpower of being able to control kinetic energy and is also trained in combat.
Keanu Reeves’ action-hero persona would be a perfect fit for the suave character. With the existence of mutants being confirmed in the MCU, it is only a matter of time before such a popular character makes his debut and Reeves would be the right star to be attached to the character.
Doug Jones as the Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer has a wonderful arc in the Marvel universe. Starting out as a herald for the cosmic being Galactus, the Silver Surfer uses Galactus’ power cosmic and finds different worlds for the villain to devour. In this pursuit, he meets the Fantastic Four on Earth and changes his stance after being touched by their nobility. The Silver Surfer, despite being an alien, has a lot of humanity in him, and who better than Keanu Reeves to bring in humanity even in the darkest of places?
The character has already been portrayed by Doug Jones in the Tim Story-directed Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The voice for the character was given by Keanu Reeves’ The Matrix buddy Lawrence Fishbourne. Though no details regarding the villains in the upcoming Fantastic Four film have been revealed, Keanu Reeves’ Silver Surfer could work better for a sequel after the four superheroes have been established and have found their superhero selves.
Wolverine
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
An obvious choice mostly because Keanu Reeves himself had expressed his desire to portray the character as he was a fan of the comics as a kid. Ever since he revealed during a Reddit AMA session that he has always wanted to play Wolverine in the MCU, fans have been petitioning Marvel to make his and the fans’ dreams come true.
Wolverine has been iconically portrayed by Huge Jackman for seventeen years before he retired with 2017’s Logan. However, the actor is all set to return for one last time in the upcoming Deadpool 3, which would be the first X-Men-centric film to be released in the MCU. However, it is not sure whether Jackman will continue to play the role in upcoming films, making the role wide and open for Keanu Reeves to sink his claws into.
Ghost Rider’
Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider
It would be tough to follow Nicholas Cage’s iconic performance in the Ghost Rider films, but since the actor is keen on retiring from film acting in a few years, the role is open for Keanu Reeves to consider. The superhero seems to be tailor-made for the John Wick star, who would be perfect to play Johnny Blaze. Blaze is a stuntman who makes a deal with Mephisto to save his father and in turn, becomes a host to the supernatural spirit Zarathos. He becomes the hero Ghost Rider, hoping to take revenge. Keanu Reeves can perform his own stunts, is a huge lover of motorcycles, and has portrayed a supernatural superhero before in Constantine.
