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As much as people loved the thought of it, Lee Jung-jae clarified that he has not received any communication from Marvel regarding any role. On August 4, the veteran South Korean actor addressed the rumors in an interview for his latest movie Hunt with SBS Entertainment News. He staunchly denied the news, saying,
“The news is wrong. An overseas influencer wrote the rumor on social media probably for fun, and it was reported as fact. I've never received an offer from Marvel."
The clarification arrives after rumors about the Squid Game actor featuring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe started doing the rounds nearly two weeks ago.
Veteran South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae dismisses rumors of his MCU debut
49-year-old Lee Jung-jae will not be starring in any Marvel movie. The speculation around the actor playing Mr. Negative, Spider-Man’s enemy, began on July 20. The Twitter account @MarvelCrave, which updates fans on everything related to Marvel, tweeted that the actor was in talks with Marvel Studios.
On August 4, Lee Jung-jae told SBS Entertainment News that the reports were false. The Twitter account credited Daniel Richtman, a famous Marvel leaker as the source. The Squid Game actor shared that the “overseas influencer” might have written the rumor “for fun.” Several media houses then picked it up as news, he shared.
Previously, Itaewon Class star Park Seo-joon was reported to have joined the MCU in June 2021. Though his agency replied with a simple “No comment” statement, he was confirmed to feature in The Marvels, aka Captain Marvel 2, in September 2021.
One could still entertain the thought of the Squid Game actor entering the MCU if the pattern of addressing the news fit. However, a staunch denial makes the rumor harder to believe.
After bagging awards, making history, and earning unimaginable fame through the 2021 Netflix drama Squid Game, the actor went on to make his directorial debut with the upcoming movie Hunt. His explosive success made the tweet from @MarvelCrave more believable, since the Korean wave continues to go global.
Crossovers of Marvel and the Korean culture
Another reason why many believed Lee Jung-jae could star in a Marvel Studios movie was the behemoth’s recent inclusion of multiple things related to Korean content. The two major announcements were Park Seo-joon’s feature in the Captain Marvel sequel (speculated to be Noh-Varr) and BTS’ song, Friends, used as a BGM in the 2021 Eternals.
Other South Korean actors have also made their mark in the Marvel universe. Ma Dong-seok, majorly recognized for his role in the zombie thriller Train to Busan, portrayed Gilgamesh, a member of the Eternals.
Claudia Kim was the first South Korean actor to play a role in a Marvel movie. She played Dr. Helen Cho in the 2015 movie Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The crossover gives the best of both worlds to two cult fandoms. Although Lee Jung-jae’s denial of featuring in a Marvel movie may be disappointing for some, fans can look forward to his directorial debut, the espionage thriller movie Hunt, to get over the disappointment.
