Two HUGE reasons Sydney Sweeney is the perfect MCU Black Cat

Hollywood – It has been rumored that Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, Anyone But You) has been made an offer to play Black Cat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next installment of the Spiderman franchise, causing quite the stir among the fandom.

Sweeney’s career has skyrocketed in recent years thanks to her stellar performances in popular shows such as Euphoria, White Lotus, and The Handmaid Tales, which have landed the 26-year-old actress 5 acting awards and 23 additional nominations, making her one of the most sought-after actresses in showbiz.

Of course, with this level of success it was inevitable that she would receive a significant amount of criticism. Most notably, veteran film producer and adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Carol Baum (Father of the Bride, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) made disparaging remarks about Sweeney looks and acting skills after watching Anyone but You.

“There’s this actress who everyone loves now: Sydney Sweeney. I don’t get Sydney Sweeney,” Baum said, according to The Daily Mail. “I said to my class, ‘explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?’ Nobody had an answer.”

Well, with the rumors of Sweeney’s potential casting as the notorious jewel thief and Spiderman antihero, we wanted to take a moment to debunk Baum’s outrageous claims and highlight two HUGE reasons she’s not only a talented actress but the perfect choice to play Black Cat that every dude can get behind.

Her subtle yet impressive range and versatility

When you think about actors and actresses with a wide range of acting chops, you might think of someone like Daniel Day Lewis, Johnny Depp, or Robert Downey Jr. who’re known for playing such a varied cast of eccentric and notable characters. And, while Sweeney may not play some of those over-the-top characters like Captain Jack Sparrow or Kirk Lazarus, her more subtle approach to acting is still noteworthy.

From complex and troubled characters like Cassie Howard in Euphoria or Pippa in Voyeurs, to supernatural vixens like Eva in Night Teeth or Julie in Nocturne, and romantic love interests like Lana in Clementine or Bea in Anyone but You, Sweeney has proven she can play a wide-array of characters—which is exactly what you want in a superhero (or villain) who relies on an alternate identity when not wearing a mask.

Alternate identities are something I think Marvel has shied away from in the MCU because of how difficult it is to cast an actor or actress in a role that requires them to be so very different. Case-in-point, take a look at Batman. Outside of Christian Bale’s performance in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, the caped crusader has often been marred by performances where the actor plays a fantastic Batman or an incredible Bruce Wayne, but seldom both. With Sweeney’s range, this would most likely not be a problem.

She—and the fans—deserve a mulligan for Madame Web

Here at Alpine 6 Action News, we try to go into every movie without bias. We heard how terrible Madame Web was, but we’ve also enjoyed many superhero movies that fans and critics roasted over the years. But in this case, they were absolutely right. This Sony picture was an absolute disaster and waste of talent. We went into the movie thinking we’re getting a good ol’ female webslinger action movie but instead got a dumpster fire of bad writing and about 15 seconds of our heroes in costume (all during dream sequences).

Sweeney is a phenomenal actress and, in the few brief clips we saw her in costume in this movie, already looked like viable Felicia Hardy (Black Cat). And, with Sweeney’s current upward trajectory in the box office, and the current downward trend of popularity and box office flops in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it only makes sense that Marvel and Disney pull out all the stops to give Sweeney another opportunity to thrive in the Spiderverse.

Of course, her casting is only a rumor. We would love to see Sweeney suit up as Black Cat, but we have to ask: if she isn’t cast as the live action antihero, who would you like to see play the part?

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