There are quite a few actors who can say they have starred in both Marvel movies and in some of Disney’s live-action remakes, such as Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie as Maleficent and Richard Madden as Cinderella’s Prince in 2015, before joining the Eternals cast. Several Marvel Cinematic Universe veterans also appeared in director Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book (including Black Widow actor Scarlett Johansson and Thor’s Idris Elba), and, most recently, Shang-Chi cast member Awkwafina voiced Scuttle in 2023’s The Little Mermaid. The point is that it might only be a matter of time before Halle Bailey — who leads the new Little Mermaid cast as Ariel — also joins that club.
The 23-year-old had already been making a name for herself as both a talented singer and actor (best known for the college-set black-ish spin-off, grown-ish) before she was cast as Ariel. However, her performance — one of the best things about the remake — has everyone curious about what she does next. Naturally, the potential to star in any upcoming superhero movies (especially upcoming Marvel movies) is something to take into consideration. So, that is exactly what I intend to do as I envision what Marvel characters would be a perfect fit for Bailey on the big screen (or small screen in a new Marvel TV show, even) — starting with one she has already expressed interest in playing.
Storm
It appears that people have been asking about Halle Bailey’s potential future as a Marvel movie star longer than I initially realized. In September 2022, at Disney’s D23 expo, Variety tweeted a clip on of the actor being asked what superhero she would love to portray now that she is part of the Disney family. She never quite gives a definitive answer, saying that playing “any Marvel superhero would just be amazing,” but did mention she has a soft spot for Storm.
Citing the savage attitude she channeled as Sky Forster on grown-ish as proof, I can see Bailey being a good match to play the fierce mutant otherwise known as Ororo Monroe, who has the foreboding nickname for her ability to control the weather. That being said, by the time the X-Men movies are finally rebooted in the MCU, she would likely still have to play an iteration closer in age to Alexandra Shipp’s portrayal in the last couple of movies, than that of Academy Award winner Halle Berry in the original live-action films. Plus, the idea of two Halle’s playing the same role is rather intriguing, if you ask me.
Kitty Pryde
Storm is, actually, not the only X-Men character that Bailey has already been associated with. In fact, just a month before Variety asked her about her dream Marvel movie role, the actor took to Twitter to debunk a rumor suggesting she had been cast in an upcoming X-Men movie as Kitty Pryde. However, many fans reacted to the tweet with hopes that it could be true one day and, quite frankly, why should it not be?
Otherwise known by the codename “Shadowcat” for her ability to phase through solid objects (among other things), this mutant Marvel character is a long-standing, widely beloved fan-favorite for her glowing personality that uniquely blends class with spunk. I think if we, once again, look at what she pulled off on grown-ish and try to combine that with her performance as Ariel, we would a new version of the character fans have been hoping to see again. Perhaps, one day, the supposedly dead plans for a Kitty Pryde solo movie could also be revived with Bailey involved.
Dazzler
If Bailey does not end up as Storm or Kitty Pryde, there is another character involved with the X-Men I have in mind for her who might be an even better fit. Anyone who has seen The Little Mermaid — which brought back some of the 1989 original’s iconic songs and introduced some new tracks — or has followed Bailey’s career as a singer knows that the actor has an astonishing set of pipes. As die-hard comic book aficionados should know, there could be an opportunity for her to use those talents in the MCU if cast in the role of Dazzler.
Born Alison Blaire, this mutant — who earned herself a spot fighting alongside the X-Men for her ability to turn sound into light — was actually first conceived with the intent for her to be made into a real-life pop star with her own concert tour (for which she would be played by an actor, of course). I think it would be cool to give that idea another shot, but with the actor who gets cast as Dazzler in the movies performing onstage. Who better to choose for that job that a real pop star like Bailey?
Ladyhawk
Anyone who is a fan of Bailey’s music career also knows that she is also one half of a singing duo that she formed with her grown-ish co-star and real-life sister, Chloe, that is aptly known as Chloe x Halle. Seeing them perform side by side and taking note of their close resemblance gave me an idea that would allow the siblings to act alongside other once again in the MCU.
After their crime boss father murdered Sam “The Falcon” Wilson, twin sisters Rosetta and Regina Morgan were inspired to defy their father’s reputation and become crime fighters, using their identical appearance to share the alias, “Ladyhawk.” Now, I should mention that the Bailey sisters are not identical, nor are they even twins — with Chloe being two years Halle’s senior — and I have very little doubt that there are no plans to kill off Anthony Mackie’s character — who is now the MCU’s Captain America — anytime soon. However, considering the Morgans hail from Earth-982 in the Marvel Multiverse, there is plenty of room for creative liberties here.
Mermaid
I am not going to lie. The first thing that I did after deciding to put Halle Bailey in the spotlight for my next hypothetical superhero movie casting session was see if there were any characters from Marvel Comics who are mermaids. As it turns out, there is a character that exists on Earth-9997 who is literally referred to as “Mermaid.”
What makes this fellow X-Men character — whose real name is unknown — unique is that the large aquatic fin she has in place of her legs is not just good for swimming, but actually helps her fly in the air. So, if anybody were to assume that Bailey was just repeating herself by taking on this role as her MCU debut, they would be in for quite a surprise.
On the other hand, if Bailey really wanted to surprise audiences, instead of joining the MCU (which is almost expected at this point given her established history with Disney), she should look into starring in some upcoming DC movies. Whichever world she wants to be a part of, she has our support.
