Marvel's Stellar Casting Strikes Again: The New Faces in 'Thor', 'Black Panther, and 'Spider-Man'!

After nearly eight years of churning out superhero film after superhero film, all with their own unique casts of colorful -- and equally as powerful -- characters, it's no surprise now that the highly-successful Marvel Studios is continuing down its path to bring some of the biggest A-list stars into their massive comic-book universe. With a multitude of official casting announcements -- and plenty of brilliant rumors as well -- popping up just this past week for upcoming Marvel films like next year's Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as the much-anticipated 2018 film Black Panther, I couldn't help but give my thoughts on how these exciting new faces could bring further excellence to the growing Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Thor: Ragnarok - Following a similar path of its upcoming magical counterpart, November's star-studded Doctor Strange -- which is already racking up my anticipation with its cast that includes the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mads Mikkelsen -- the mysterious sequel to 2013's Thor: The Dark World has already snatched my attention as well, filling up its cast with a plethora of big-name stars. Confirmed to star alongside Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Tom Hiddleson's Loki are Cate Blanchett as the villainous Hela, Jeff Goldblum as the eccentric Grandmaster, Karl Urban as Skurge the Executioner, as well as Creed's Tessa Thompson as a new love interest to Thor and a powerful warrior, Valkyrie. With two Lord of the Rings stars now at its disposal, as well as the humorous Goldblum, this once-low-profile sequel to the lackluster Dark World definitely looks like it could deliver one of the best trequels since Captain America: Civil War -- just as long as it doesn't waste its star talent.   

Karl Urban, known for his take on the judge, jury, and executioner role of Judge Dredd
in the 2012 reboot plans to bring an equally menacing -- and violent
might to the Asgardian warrior 

Black Panther - While its release date may still be a few years away, there is still plenty to get excited for as the much-anticipated solo adventure of Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther nears closer and closer. With two phenomenal actors -- Creed's Michael B. Jordan and 12 Years a Slave's Lupita Nyong'o -- now in talks to star in what's now being called a "90% African or African-American" superhero film, 2018's Black Panther already looks to have a lot going for it. Almost ensuring that the film will retain its strong comic-book origins of being set around the lush African country of Wakanda, the news of fellow black actors rounding out the film's cast is nothing short of perfect. Already pulling me in with the promise of more from this month's Civil War stand-out Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa and the masterful Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, the famed adversary of the Wakandan warrior, 2018's Black Panther looks to be shaping up its unique cast quite nicely.    

With Creed and Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler now taking on Black Panther,
this cast looks like it could be match made in heaven 

Spider-Man: Homecoming - Another MCU film drawing me in a whole year before it even releases is the unexpected yet highly-anticipated new Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. After years of hits and misses on the silver screen surrounding the popular web-head and his adventures, the rights to the character finally made its way into the hands of Disney, prompting his return to the screen alongside fellow members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, after the sparky, new Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) offered up one of the biggest highlights of this month's Captain America: Civil War, there was no surprise that a solo film would quickly be in the works. With the 2017 solo film now beginning to round out its cast, with Robert Downey Jr. set to return as Tony Stark/Iron Man and actress/singer Zendaya joining as well, rumors now circulate around other big names in talks to star alongside the web-head. From Birdman's Michael Keaton now in final talks to star as the film's antagonist (Vulture? Norman Osborn?) -- as well as Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin now rumored to appear as well -- much mystery still surrounds this ambitious new take on the famous wall-crawler. One thing's for sure, if Downey Jr., Keaton, and D'Onofrio round out the film's cast, this could be one of the most star-studded Spider-Man films we've ever gotten.   

Whether Mr. Keaton joins the next Spider-Man reboot or not, I still think breakout star
Tom Holland could take the reins and lead the show all by himself

Who are you most excited to see join the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What actors or actresses do you want to play your favorite Marvel characters? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!