Ronda Rousey Still Wants To Play Captain Marvel, Has Not Threatened Marvel Studios With Punching Quite Yet
Ronda Rouseywants to playCaptain Marveland she’ll snap as many limbs and crush as many skulls as necessary to land the job. Until that becomes necessary, she’s taking a more civil approach and just taking every possible opportunity to talk about the part in public. MaybeMarvel Studioswill consider her for the rolebeforeshe has to start demolishing every human being standing in her way.
For the new Ronda RouseyCaptain Marvelchatter, hit the jump.
Entertainment Tonightcaught up with the undefeated MMA fighter for a brief chat about her burgeoning Hollywood career, Beyoncé, and the vital importance of eating some hot wings after you’ve physically decimated another human being in the ring. In the midst of it all, she once again mentioned her favorite topic of interview conversation – she really, really wants to play Carol Danvers for Marvel:
Rousey been publiclycampaigning for this role for quite some time now, but she stepped up her game in August, sharing fan-made images of her in costume on her Instagram page. It’s not hard to imagine Rousey, who has literally defeated her opponents in seconds, playing a superhero.
A post shared by Ronda Rousey (@rondarousey)
But is she right for Captain Marvel? That’s the tricky, sticky little question. After all, small roles inThe Expendables 3,Entourage, andFurious 7do not a leading lady make. For all of her impressive physical presence and command of the ring, we haven’t seen any evidence that she’s ready to lead a movie in a franchise that has been built upon charismatic, funny main characters. Rousey could be a good actress, but we haven’t seen actual proof of that yet.
To be fair, Rousey does acknowledge her lack of experience in that quote above. WithPeter Berg’sMile 22and a remake ofRoad Houseon her plate, she has two chances to prove herself to the powers that be. After all, theCaptain Marvelmovie isn’t even due in theaters until June 25, 2025. She’s got time to work on her chops.
Let’s get personal for a second. I like Rousey. I like anyonewho defends a gender-swappedRoad Houseremakeby saying “I really don’t think that any other man could be the Sways.” However, there are qualities that are key to making Captain Marvel work and I’m not sure if she has them. At least not yet.
Carol Danvers is a military veteran whose every decision as a superhero is defined by her years of combat experience. She is a leader, a tactician, and a warrior, but she is also noble, thoughtful, and kind. That combination may be familiar to anyone who grew up with military men and women in their lives. These are the bravest, toughest people you’ve ever met, but their choice to devote their lives to serving a cause bigger than themselves is more quietly impressive than being able to wield a weapon.
Like Captain America, Captain Marvel is a character defined by the fact that she’s a soldier. Rousey has got the physical violence thing down, but nothing she has done so far has hinted at that she can play a wise leader who has made a career out of making tough, moral decisions where lives hang in the balance. Maybe someday, but not yet. At the risk of jumping on the fan-casting bandwagon,Emily Bluntseems more in tune with what this character requires.Rebecca Ferguson,too.
Still, someone should totally cast Rousey asanotherMarvel superhero. After all, it’s about time a real superhuman got the chance to suit up in one of these movies.
