As if we werenât excited enough about Avengers: Infinity War and its convergence of nearly every hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it looks like thereâs a new performer joining the cast that has us especially pumped. Fan-favorite Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage is reportedly in talks for âa key roleâ in both Infinity War and its currently untitled sequel.
Variety broke the story about Dinklageâs potential entry into the MCU; Marvel Studios has declined to comment, but if the report is true, and we certainly hope that it is, then this would be Dinklageâs second comic book movie after his supporting turn in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Dinklage is such a great performer that we are absolutely on board with watching him portray pretty much anyone in the MCU. Heâs got fantastic dramatic range, and his presence would only make the film better.
As for Dinklageâs character, itâs currently unclear whom he would play in the film, but we do have a few suggestions, guesses, and hopes.
MODOK
Though MODOK played no role in any of the Infinity Gauntlet storylines, Marvel Studios has reshaped its own comic lore before for the big screen–if Ultron can be created by Tony Stark instead of Hank Pym, then why can’t MODOK find his way into an Infinity War? In Dinklageâs hands, the Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing could be a tragic foe or the most hilarious misfit villain in the MCU. Either way, weâre cool with it.
Mephisto
Here’s another option from the villainous end of the Marvel spectrum (it can be much more fun to play the devil, after all). During the Infinity Gauntlet, Mephisto was humiliated by Thanos and forced to serve as his majordomo. Thatâs right, Thanos made Marvelâs devil into his personal attendant. The intriguing thing there was that Mephisto started playing Iago to Thanosâ Othello, and he kept offering him advice that was designed to eventually destroy Thanos. We can totally see Dinklage as an Iago type, even if he portrayed Mephisto without the aid of CGI.
Adam Warlock
Let’s move on to an outside-the-box pick. Peter Dinklage could play Adam Warlock, likely with a bit of CGI in his camp, à  la Thanos. Considering that Warlock is Thanosâ nemesis and the potential savior of the universe, then Marvel needs an actor who can really hold his own against Josh Brolinâs Thanos. Dinklage can do that and then some.
Laurence Fishburne clearly had a great voice for the Silver Surfer in Foxâs Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, armed with dialogue that made him feel he stepped right out of the comic books. If Marvel Studios really wanted Adam Warlock to go the full Jim Starlin (with the disco collar cape and everything), why not use Dinklage to play one of the most important roles in the film?
Pip the Troll
A notable fixture of Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and all of those Infinity storylines, Pip is Adam Warlockâs constant companion. He is known be to sarcastic, lewd, lecherous, and a bit of a hedonist. Sound familiar? Pip really isnât all that different from Tyrionâs persona in the first season of Game of Thrones, so we know that Dinklage could pull off this role in his sleep. In fact, this one may be too in step with Tyrion Lannister. Sure, Dinklage could play the hell out of the role, but would he really spend his break between seasons of Game of Thrones on a part that didnât challenge him? (On the other hand, if anyone can make non-comic book fans care about Pip the Troll, then itâs Peter Dinklage!)
Starfox
Starfox (a.k.a. Eros of Titan) has a lot of the same lecherous qualities that Pip had, with one key difference: Eros can make himself irresistible to anyone he wants with his ability to control emotions–though originally enacted on women alone, more recent comics have suggested that Starfox may be bisexual.
So what would this more obscure character wind up doing in an Avengers movie? Well, he is an Avenger, or at least he was in the ’80s. Starfox may not join the team in the MCU, but thereâs a very good chance that heâll be in these films simply because he is the brother of Thanos. That offers Eros a potentially tragic part in the movie, and we all know that Dinklage can pull off that kind of pathos.
Uatu
Somehow, we suspect that the rights to Uatu may be tied up with the messy deal that Marvel made with Fox for the Fantastic Four and several of its cosmic characters. Thatâs why we canât have nice things, or Galactus in this movie. But on the off chance that Uatu could be in this film, that would give Dinklage another intriguing angle to play.
Within the Marvel Universe, Uatu is almost always above the fray as a member of the Watchers. This Watcher has a vow of non-interference with Earth that he keeps breaking because he loves humanity. We think that Dinklage could find Uatuâs inner spark of humanity and make him a memorable character for a new generation.
The Gardener
The Gardener is a lesser known member of the Elders of the Universe within Marvelâs comics, and heâs definitely a minor character when compared to the rest of this list. So why is he here? Because someone has been holding the Soul Stone in the MCU, and it might be the Gardener. Within his comic book history, the Gardener has been known to use both the Time Gem and the Soul Gem to make his otherworldly gardens grow. And the Gardener met a particularly gruesome fate when Thanos took one of the gems from him. We also kind of love the idea that Dinklageâs Gardener would be in the same brotherhood as Jeff Goldblumâs Gamesmaster and Benicio del Toroâs Collector.
Shaper of Worlds
Clearly, weâve got a godlike trend on this list. The Shaper of Worlds was born out of an attempt to create a new Cosmic Cube. If the Shaper exists in the MCU, then he could have been created during an attempt to replicate the Infinity Stones…but he probably wouldnât have that cool Skrull head in this incarnation.
The reason we bring up the Shaper is that Thanosâ might was challenged by several cosmic entities during the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. But most of those characters werenât very interesting to look at, so weâre suggesting the Shaper of Worlds should be used in their place. This could also be a fun part for Dinklage to voice, and he’d give the Shaper more of a real personality.
The Living Tribunal
In the Marvel Universe, the Living Tribunal may not be the creator of the universe, but heâs one of the closest things to God that Marvel has. You canât tell us that DInklage wouldnât have a blast embodying Marvelâs near-almighty deity. The Living Tribunal may feel like a bit of a stretch for the current MCU, but we like that idea.
Eternity
But we can even go one better than God, at least for an actor of Dinklage’s caliber. So what would be the biggest role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Why, nothing less than the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself! Eternity is the very personification of Marvel’s Universe, which is one of hell of a role for any actor to play. We’ve seen Dinklage breathe great life into his characters before, so we know he’s got a universe’s worth in him. Now that sounds like a universe that we want to live in!
Bonus Round:
Bolivar Trask
Just kidding…maybe. Although, we do kind of want to see Dinklage rock that â70s mustache one more time. Who cares if it makes sense or not?!
Who do you think that Dinklage should play in Avengers: Infinity War? Unleash the cosmic forces in the comment section below!
Images: HBO/Marvel Comics/20th Century Fox