By Kevin McVicker
I’m still not sure what it was about X-Men 2099, possibly it was Ron Lim’s impeccable artwork, but from the moment I picked it up I was hooked. This was the first series that I collected the entire set (including the two one-shot graphic novels), and to this day I’m still extremely proud of that. Xi’an is one of my favorite X-Men and favorite X-Men villain. Junkpile became a favorite character of mine after he became an enforcer for President Doom. Skullfire’s powerset reminded me of Havok’s, and I loved the way it was presented on the pages of the books. All-in-all, I took extra time to loving fancast this team since I hold them in such high esteem. And while this movie will never see the light of day, my only hope is that maybe my exaltation of them will encourage a few new readers to go back and pick up this short-lived series.
Bloodhawk (Lemuel Frug) – Tom Hardy
While he’s been rumored as a potential candidate for Doctor Strange, I think this versatile actor would be better suited for demon-looking Bloodhawk. I think he could bring this great character to life in unexpected ways.
Cerebra (Shakti Haddad) – Salli Richardson-Whitfield
This beautiful actress definitely has the looks and the commanding presence to take on this character, and she is also a geek fan favorite from her roles on Eureka and The Gargoyles cartoon.
Junkpile – Karl Urban
Okay, so Karl Urban is small compared to this character, but he’ll probably have to be CGI. All of his roles, though, make me believe he would be a perfect fit to play this traitor (and later SHIELD agent under President Doom).
Krystalin (Ruth Kristen Porter-Ogada) – Samira Wiley
This is the first of two actresses I picked because of the series Orange is the New Black. She generally shows as a tough inmate, but in the few instances her character has had soft and quiet moments I’ve been incredibly impressed with her range.
La Lunatica – Jackie Cruz
I love the series Orange is the new Black, and although her role in it wouldn’t be categorized as large, she is obviously an attractive actress who is capable of giving off a larger than life attitude for her characters. That is exactly what is needed for this role.
Metalhead (Edward van Beethoven-Osako) – Terry Crews
I know there have been a lot of fans wishing for this actor to take on Luke Cage, and he possibly could do that very well. But from everything I’ve read that’s probably not going to happen. So as a secondary role to get Mr Crews into the Marvel Universe, I think he would be perfect for Eddie/Metalhead.
Meanstreak (Herni Guang) – Sung Kang
While his girlfriend from the Fast And Furious series went on to be Wonder Woman, I think this would be a great role for him to make his own and have some fun nods towards his previous franchise.
Serpentina (Kimberly Kristine Potters) – Maggie Grace
This character sadly didn’t make it too long in the series, but for her short life span I believe this particular actress could perfectly bring her to life.
Sham (Diamanda LaSalle) – Valorie Curry
While this actress is possibly best known for her recent work as the sociopath-loving psycho-killer in the show The Following, she’s had a wide path of characters played during her career. And that range is what may be needed to bring this lesser developed X-Woman from her time as a slave in the Theater of Pain to becoming a full fledged member.
Skullfire (Timothy Fitzgerald) – Eric Christian Olsen
I’ll admit, far too often I remember this actor for his role as the guy with small nipples on Community. That’s a hard image to get out of your head. But I think this is the role of the post-Xi’an X-Men leader could help us get rid of that awkward memory and help turn him into a lead actor.
Desert Ghost/Controller X (Xi’an Chi Xan) – Daniel Dae Kim
This character is still one of my favorite X-Men of all time. He is complex, and turns out to be unbalanced and a little evil, but it was a great twist and turn which if the story got that far I believe this actor could pull it off. Not only does he look the part, but his role on the series Lost was far from flat and showed he’s got what it takes to pull off the founder and eventual archenemy of this X-Men team.
Brimstone Love – Brian Thompson
My main memories of this actor are from his stint on the X-Files as the alien bounty hunter. Although the character reminds me of the Devil from Legend (played by one of my favorite actors: Tim Curry) I think that this actor, even with his age could still create the perfect visage for this role. He’s also been my fan-pick to play Apocalypse since the mid-90s, so you’re likely to see him again… say if I do an AoA fan-casting.
Lytton Synge – Timothy Olyphant
Desdemona Synge – Radha Mitchell
These two actors stared in the Crazies (a slightly underrated knock off of 28 Days Later), but I think they’d be great as the evil siblings who frame the X-Men for the death of the father (the image of that mummy cowboy on a horse from the comics has forever stuck with me).
“Dead Guy on a Horse” Synge – Gary Oldman
I know we need someone to play a dead, wooden thing and Kristen Stewart seems like the obvious choice, but Gary Oldman could breathe life into this lifeless corpse because… well… he can play anything!
