10 Marvel Characters Steven Yeun Could Play After Ditching Sentry And THUNDERBOLTS

In a surprising turn of events, Steven Yeun has walked away from Marvel Studios, leaving the role of Sentry but still hoping to play another character down the line. Here are some options.

By LiteraryJoe - Jan 04, 2024 12:01 PM EST

Filed Under: Thunderbolts

After The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman previously confirmed that Steven Yeun would be playing Sentry and had already been fitted for the costume, fans were shocked to learn that the Korean actor walked away from the role. The Beef and Nope star was very open about wanting to play another character for Marvel instead even if he did temper his expectations. However, given the controversy surrounding the character's race-swapped casting, it will be hard for the actor to find another role that will sit well with fans.

The actor himself is beloved enough, and this was proven when The Walking Dead all but died alongside his character of Glenn, and then with the overwhelmingly positive reception that Invincible garnered afterwards, fans of the comic book medium have shown faith in the actor and love for him, meaning he could still have a bright future on the horizon in the genre.

We compiled a list of characters we think Steven Yeun could bring his chops to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and though we did our best to avoid race-swapping, there simply isn't a large pool of characters from the source material that share his Korean heritage to pull from. Sure, we could suggest a gender-bent Cindy Moon, but we know that will never happen, especially with Sony developing their own Silk television series. Still, we think the up-and-coming actor could bring something special to a number of roles in the MCU going forward, and here are ten possibilities.

10. Mister Negative

Martin Li may have been one of Spider-Man's lesser-known villains but the smash hit video game series introduced him to a much wider audience and we think Steven Yeun would be a great fit for the role. Even though the character is Chinese in origin, we don't expect many people would have trouble with an Asian actor stepping slightly outside of his race for another Asian role.

The owner of F.E.A.S.T., which appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the seed has already been planted for this villain to appear down the line. Even so, given the fact that actor Stephen Oyoung portrayed him in the video games with motion capture as well as vocal and is no stranger to on-screen acting, it's entirely possible that Sony will want to retain his talents and carry him over to the big screen alongside the character he helped make so recognizable, so we kept this one at number ten.

9. Radioactive Man

While there has been more than one Radioactive Man in Marvel Comics over the years, many fans will gravitate toward Chen Lu being a good role for Yeun to fit into. If the actor was looking to don a super suit like the one he had for Sentry, then there are versions of the character that may appeal to him, such as the image above from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The character may be little known, but hey, so is Sentry and that didn't stop the thespian from nabbing the role... initially.

8. Silver Samurai

There are two main reasons why Silver Samurai is a role that Yeun might not nab, and the first is that the character isn't Korean. Still, the majority of the audience likely wouldn't mind such an obscure character being shifted to another Asian denomination and just because the character has to be from Japan doesn't mean that he has to be Japanese, especially as there have been multiple versions of Silver Samurai in the comics.

The second biggest reason we may not see this on screen in the MCU is because Wolverine, the character who we would meet him through, has been overdone in the Fox-Men universe and Feige and co. may want to give him some space when focusing on the mutants coming into the fold. After all, is there really room for another white male on the team with the agenda Disney has been pushing as of late? Still, this would be an undoubtedly badass role for any actor to land, and we can't help but imagine it being a better fit for Yeun than Sentry.

7. The Human Torch

Yes, we know that Jonny Storm is a white character with blonde hair, and this suggestion is likely to ruffle some feathers. Still, we're looking at the personality of The Human Torch here and we think that the charisma Yeun has brought to roles like Glenn in The Walking Dead could transfer well to this role, and it's not like he has always been portrayed as white on screen.

The biggest problem with this is the fact that Sue Storm is his sister and the two will be introduced side by side, causing the same controversy that happened with Josh Trank's Fantrashtic 4 film. Vanessa Kirby seemed to have all but nabbed the role of The Invisible Woman before the holidays, but after Pedro Pascal was confirmed to be leading the team, no other casting information has been broken.

Even though we think Yeun would be a good pick for Jonny, there's another character in the Fantastic 4 wheelhouse he would likely be a better fit for...

6. Silver Surfer

Norrin Radd is a character from the comics that could be played by any race. Though he may be viewed as white by the majority of readers, he was actually only portrayed in live action by African-American actor Laurence Fishburne. Since Fishburne has gone on to play Bill Foster/Goliath in return for getting to make Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur it is likely that the role will be recast.

It's been heavily reported that the herald of Galactus in the upcoming Fantastic 4 reboot will not be Silver Surfer at all, but rather a female instead. Even if that is the case, it would be surprising if Marvel Studios didn't turn to Silver Surfer eventually down the line in a sequel, or even a solo series or movie as was planned by scribe Brian K. Vaughan before the Disney buyout.

5. Iceman

If Steven Yeun doesn't mind portraying a homosexual character, we could definitely see him as Bobby Drake. Much like roles such as Human Torch and Silver Surfer, much of this role will be CGI and the character's skin tone will be unrecognizable. Also in the vein of Jonny Storm, we think Bobby Drake needs someone with massive amounts of charisma to set him apart on screen from his previous iteration and give his comic book counterpart the shine he deserves.

4. Ghost Rider

One of the many things that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got right was the character of Ghost Rider. Not only did they prove that the character did not have to be white, as there are multiple who take up the mantle of the Spirit of Vengeance in the comics, but the show went so far as to even see Agents Mack and Coulson as the titular hero as well. This may not be in line with the roles that the actor has played up until now, but we think he has the chops to bring something special to a role that arguably fits him much better than Sentry would have.

And, hey, if Nicolas Cage can pull it off, who can't?

3. Sunfire

Many fans will argue that Shiro Yoshida is as good a role for Steven Yeun to take on as any - and countless would likely rather see him in this role than the race-swapped Human Torch many fans are suggesting. This character is Asian on the page and would need an actor to bring him to the screen anyway, especially with Marvel scraping the bottom of the barrel as they have been.

2. Amadeus Cho

We included this character because it is the one most suggested for Steven Yeun to play, but with the MCU as established, it just won't work. First of all, it's hard to imagine that Marvel would want to go with an older actor for a character that arguably shines at a young age.

More important, however, is the fact that Amadeus's mother was established in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the actress who played her is two years younger than Yeun. Still, there are ways to make that work, either by retconning her to be his wife or sister, or with the eventual reset the universe is likely to take after Avengers: Secret Wars.

1. Rick Jones

Rick Jones is one of the most beloved characters from Marvel Comics and the closest thing we got to this was Phil Coulson, who sort of filled in as the superhero sidekick in Phase 1 of the MCU before dying at the hands of Loki in The Avengers.

We don't think the character would end up being anything like Coulson or any of the other glorified sidekicks we have seen on screen so far, but Rick Jones could be the beloved connective tissue that the MCU is sorely lacking in these current phases. Rick Jones has enough heart to warrant a number of appearances, and with World War Hulk on the horizon and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Season 2 rumored, it's entirely possible that he still makes his entrance.

Yes, we know Rick Jones is white in the comics, however the role of Glenn definitely evoked the character for us and we think Yeun could take someone that the regular movie-going audience doesn't know and turn them into a beloved household name. If we are to get an Amadeus Cho project eventually, why not build on that by giving him another asian buddy in the form of an age-old Hulk sidekick who is long overdue to make an appearance?

What do you guys make of this list? Are there any characters we left out that you think would be a better fit for Yeun now that he has made his hopes to play another Marvel character known?

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91 Comments

1 2 3

DocSpock - 1/4/2024, 12:15 PM

These are all wrong. Try again.

LiteraryJoe - 1/4/2024, 12:17 PM

@DocSpock - Suggestion?

DocSpock - 1/4/2024, 12:24 PM

@LiteraryJoe -

Actually Sunfire would be good, or even Mephisto.

LiteraryJoe - 1/4/2024, 12:28 PM

@DocSpock - Other than skin color, why do you think he’d be bad for Rick Jones?

grif - 1/4/2024, 3:09 PM

@DocSpock - yeah he has him playing a bunch of white dudes wtf? and cho hulk is shit

DocSpock - 1/4/2024, 3:11 PM

@grif -

Agreed.

LiteraryJoe - 1/4/2024, 12:17 PM

If ya like this, check out @joshwilding ‘a list of who could play Sentry, we posted at the same time lol. https://comicbookmovie.com/thunderbolts/thunderbolts-5-actors-who-can-replace-steven-yeun-as-the-marvel-cinematic-universes-sentry-a208644

Vigor - 1/4/2024, 12:18 PM

@LiteraryJoe - haha I thought it was both Josh. Nice to see some other writers getting their lists on

LiteraryJoe - 1/4/2024, 12:31 PM

@Vigor - Thanks, it’s new for me!

ReverseFlasher - 1/4/2024, 12:36 PM

@LiteraryJoe - Thanks for your article!

LiteraryJoe - 1/4/2024, 12:40 PM

@ReverseFlasher - Thank you for reading!

bobevanz - 1/4/2024, 1:47 PM

@LiteraryJoe - keep going! It's a fresh breath of air around here lol

Vigor - 1/4/2024, 12:17 PM

I hope this article in a way puts a spotlight on how few Asian comic book characters there are to American audiences (not talking manga) and why race swapping isn't some Hollywood conspiracy to erase rhe whites but perhaps a way to right the wrongs from our white washed past 🤷🏾‍♂️

MCUKnight11 - 1/4/2024, 12:17 PM

There is actually a Korean superman pastiche that is part of the tiger division.

LiteraryJoe - 1/4/2024, 12:20 PM

@MCUKnight11 - I almost included “new character for Tiger Division” but thought it might be too little known.

Apophis71 - 1/4/2024, 12:21 PM

Putting aside the normal reasons, if he isn't up for Thnderbolts which is set to start shooting this year he would be unlikely to suddenly be cast for F4 that was also scheduled for filming in the spring of this year .

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10 Marvel Characters Steven Yeun Could Play After Ditching Sentry And THUNDERBOLTS

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