Shah Rukh Khan might just be stepping into Hollywood and into a superhero suit. Rumours are picking up pace that the Bollywood icon is in talks with Marvel Studios for a role in a future film. Notably, this has nothing to do with Avengers: Doomsday, which is already in production.
The buzz started when a fan-run Marvel updates account posted a photo of Shah Rukh along with a cryptic update, hinting at early discussions between the actor and Marvel. There’s no confirmation from either side yet, but that hasn’t stopped fans from imagining what an SRK superhero could look like.
This isn’t the first time Shah Rukh’s name has popped up in the Marvel conversation. Last year, Anthony Mackie who plays the new Captain America, named him as his top pick to join the Avengers, calling him “the best.” Benedict Cumberbatch, Marvel’s Doctor Strange, has also spoken highly of SRK, suggesting he’d be a great fit for the franchise.
Even Marvel itself has referenced Shah Rukh before. In Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan openly admires him, and a track from his film Swades played in Deadpool 2. So in a way, the Marvel universe already knows who he is.
Shah Rukh Khan at a recent event Getty Images
If the deal goes through, Shah Rukh would join a small group of Indian actors who’ve crossed over to Marvel: Farhan Akhtar, Harish Patel, and Mohan Kapur among them. But SRK’s stature and fanbase would make this a far bigger move.
Social media users have been throwing around wild ideas from him playing a desi-themed hero like ‘Chakra’ to a character rooted in ancient Indian mythology. Some even joked about a superhero called ‘Mohabbat Man’ as a nod to SRK’s long reign as the king of romance.
He’s currently shooting King, an action thriller directed by Siddharth Anand, also starring his daughter Suhana Khan. But if this Marvel news turns out to be true, it would mark a major milestone in Shah Rukh Khan’s career.
For now, it’s still a maybe. But with Marvel expanding its global stories, the idea of India’s biggest star entering the world of superheroes doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
Would you want to see SRK as a superhero or a villain in the MCU?
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