Let’s dreamcast the X-Men before they appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

SITGES, SPAIN – OCTOBER 04: Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau during press conference of film ‘Suicide Tourist’ on October 04, 2019 in Sitges, Spain. (Photo by Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images)

8. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Angel

Angel is another one of those X-Men who never got a super deep movie treatment, but who is pretty important to many of the early comic stories. One of the original five X-Men, Angel’s mutant power is that he has white-feathered wings sprouting from his back, which gives him the ability to fly.

But the tricky thing is that Angel, like Cyclops, has the trap of becoming a boring character if he’s not handled well. Just look at his movie adaptations to date for proof: whether played by Ben Foster in The Last Stand or Ben Hardy in X-Men: Apocalypse, he hasn’t stood out. That’s why giving the role to a ridiculously charismatic actor like Game of Thrones veteran Nikolaj Coster-Waldau would make a ton of sense.

Coster-Waldau fits the description of Angel pretty much to a T, with the sole exception of his age. But if the X-Men entered the MCU with the sort of age spread that we talked about earlier, then it would make total sense for Angel to be a bit older, considering he was one of the original X-Men.

But the best qualifier of all? Get this: Angel’s human identity is Warren Worthington III…heir to a massive family fortune that, early in the story, results in him being considered self-absorbed and big-headed. It’s only through intense trials, like being forced to become one of the Four Horsemen by the arch-villain Apocalypse, that Warren begins to grow more introspective and thoughtful.

Is anyone else getting flashbacks to Jaime Lannister on Game of Thrones? The match may be even more perfect than I thought.