Nathaniel Essex (Mister Sinister)
As brilliant as James Mangold’s Logan was, it missed out on the incredible opportunity of casting Richard E. Grant as Nathaniel Essex/Mister Sinister. I mean, why in the world would you cast an actor of Grant’s caliber as Zander Rice and not as the gene-splicing mutant? It’s mind-boggling.
It’s also pretty insulting to think of the fact that we’ve seen two incarnations of Mystique and Toad (who the hell cares about this character anyway?), but not one single version of Mister Sinister in the X-Men film universe. Just imagine the potential of putting Apocalypse and Essex as the two main antagonists in a movie. They would make Magneto look like nothing more than a magnetized tin man in comparison.
After all the teases and hints (see the video above) that the sinister one is coming, it’s all been false promises to date. But hey, we’ll probably see Mystique in X-Men: Dark Phoenix again, so let’s all erupt into one giant sarcastic yay.
Basil Karlo (Clayface)
If the DCEU is looking for a villain with a heart, or someone who’ll see the err in his ways and become a good guy, Clayface is the man for the occasion. It’s actually quite surprising that he hasn’t made an appearance in a Batman film yet, since he would’ve been a perfect fit for Joel Schumacher’s era – don’t crucify me, because I’m talking about the tone, not quality, here.
He might not be the most popular or imposing of characters, but if you’ve been reading James Tynion IV’s Detective Comics run, you’ll definitely see how important he’s become to the Batverse in recent months. He’s trying to redeem himself after his past sins, and we’ve seen a gentler, kinder side to the man made from clay. Heck, his chats with Cassandra Cain have melted even the coldest of hearts at times.
Fans are tired of seeing the same characters in superhero films, so why not change it up and introduce someone with a unique personality like Clayface? He’s widely known by comic book audiences from around the world, and his current incarnation holds the huge possibility of becoming DC’s Groot. Yes, I know I’ve said this before (on multiple occasions), but I believe it wholeheartedly.
