Every generation has a talent come along that is sadly lost in the prime of their careers. James Dean and Jimi Hendrix, just to name a few. Heath Ledger very much falls into this group, as he sadly passed away in January 2008 from a drug overdose, just seven months before the release of The Dark Knight, featuring his Oscar-winning performance as the Joker. Throughout his short career, Ledger starred in some classic roles, with the Joker topping this list. With his home run performance in The Dark Knight helping make Joker the perfect villain, Ledger established that his talents fit into the world of comic book movies. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe grows larger by the year, we can’t help but wonder how Ledger could have fit into this universe and which roles he would have crushed given the opportunity.

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8 Eros/Starfox

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 

Starfox was introduced in one of the post-credits scenes in 2021’s Eternals. While we do not have a large sample size for the character in the MCU outside of this quick cameo by Harry Styles, the (much better looking) brother of Thanos is sure to play a large role moving forward in the universe. Starfox is an interesting character with an occasional checkered past in comic history, but a character with a ton of charm and charisma, something we know Ledger has in spades from his early work.

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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier

     Disney Platform Distribution 

When we last saw Bucky Barnes, he was fighting alongside his friend Sam Wilson in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+. With Sebastian Stan set to reprise this role in the upcoming Thunderbolts film, Bucky Barnes has already had a profound impact and history within the MCU, blending into several franchises. Seeing Ledger take on a multi-layered character like Barnes would have been interesting to see. We know ledger can deliver the dry comedy of The Winter Soldier, but would handle the dramatic aspects of the character even better.

6 Dane Whitman/Black Knight

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Another newcomer introduced in Eternals was Dane Whitman, played by Kit Harrington, more likely to be more known in the future as The Black Knight. You know who has experience playing a knight? That’s right, Heath Ledger! This connection runs only as deep as Ledger’s connection to previously playing a knight, a role we know he has crushed in the past, and would crush as Dane Whitman.

5 Peter Quill/Star-Lord

As we gear up for the emotional finale to James Gunn’s trilogy in 2023, Star-Lord is another MCU mainstay that we can’t help but picture Heath Ledger taking on. Ledger has the charisma, as we previously mentioned, but he also has the goofiness and humor that is necessary to bring Star-Lord to life. He also has a connection to Chris Pratt, in the fact that when both actors were cast as Star-Lord and Joker, respectively, it was met with skepticism by fans, and both ended up being phenomenal.

4 Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley/Moon Knight

Moon Knight was one of the most anticipated Disney + shows, and it did not disappoint when released. This Emmy award-winning series explores Marc Spector and his journey as the avatar of the Moon God Konshu. The multiple personalities that inhabit Marc Spector and by proxy Moon Knight as well makes for a masterclass in acting; one Oscar Isaac did very well and one we can’t help but wonder how Heath Ledger would have handled.

3 Wolverine

     20th Television 

One character we have yet to see in the MCU, but one that is surely on his way, is Wolverine. The often grumpy and always hostile member of the X-Men is one of, if not the most popular comic characters of all time, and his debut in the MCU will be one of the biggest moments in the universe’s two plus decades. While we know Hugh Jackman will be reprising his version of Wolverine in Deadpool 3, it is hard to imagine that he will be the MCU’s version of the character moving forward. We think Wolverine provides the perfect depth that Heath Ledger could have sunk his teeth into, interpreting this iconic character.

2 John Walker/U.S. Agent

Heath Ledger’s portrayal as Joker in The Dark Knight introduced a character suffering from classic signs of PTSD. Despite never being mentioned out loud, the disorder was a modeling point for this version of the clown prince of crime. An MCU character suffering from his own PTSD is John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. John Walker is a character study Heath Ledger would absolutely crush had given the opportunity.

1 Loki

It is hard to imagine anyone other than Tom Hiddleston playing Loki in the MCU, as the actor has helped in the evolution of this character for more than a decade. However, imagining alternate realities is what we do best, and picturing Heath Ledger as the God of Mischief creates a lot of really intriguing possibilities. We have seen Ledger take on the psychotic brand of villain before as Joker; his take on a cunning and crafty type villain like Loki is something interesting to imagine and something we know Ledger would absolutely crush.