The Sympathizer star is a trained martial artist and wants to put his physicality to use in a ruthless villain role.

Robert Downey Jr.’s The Sympathizer co-star would love to join the MCU, and he has quite some picks for the roles he could play. Fred Nguyen Khan, who plays Bon in the HBO series, would have opted to play Shang Chi or Iron Fist, if these roles weren’t already taken. However, with his martial arts background, Khan would love to play the villain in the sequel to Simu Liu’s Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

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Robert Downey Jr.’s The Sympathizer co-star reveals his MCU aspirations
Khan’s latest series, The Sympathizer, is receiving largely positive comments. Besides acting in the series, Robert Downey Jr. also served as its executive producer alongside his wife Susan Downey. The miniseries based on the Pulitzer-winning novel is also Downey Jr.’s first project since his Oscar win.

Robert Downey Jr.’s The Sympathizer Co-Star Wants To Play The Villain in Shang Chi 2

Fred Nguyen Khan, who plays Bon in The Sympathizer, wants to play a villain in Shang Chi 2
Fred Nguyen Khan revealed his MCU ambitions during an interview with Agents of Fandom. Khan had the opportunity to star alongside Marvel veteran actor Robert Downey Jr., which prompted the question about his favorite MCU role to take on. Khan trained at a Shaolin Temple for a few months in martial arts and wanted his possible Marvel role to utilize his full potential.

Khan is eyeing a role in the Shang Chi sequel. He said he would have played the titular role if the franchise had contacted him before Simu Liu. Now, he wants to play a villain in the second film that would be as ruthless as Tony Leung’s Wenwu in the first film. Khan shared that he wanted to leave behind a big impact like Michael B. Jordan‘s Killmonger in Black Panther. He shared with Agents of Fandom:

“So, for people who don’t know my background at all, I’m actually a lifelong martial artist. I grew up in a martial arts family, I actually trained at the Shaolin Temple for a few months. For me, the idea of portraying a character…Shang-Chi’s already taken, obviously, but that would’ve been the one back then. I mean, there’s Iron Fist, maybe. But you know what? I would love to play the villain in a Shang-Chi movie. I want to be the Killmonger of Shang-Chi.”

While he shared his ideas about playing a role in Shang Chi 2, the film itself hasn’t been announced in the Marvel roster. The film was one of the better-reviewed films among the Phase 4 films. However, it did not have the star power to pull in the money corresponding to its critical success.

Khan could still play several characters in the MCU that would require his physicality. He could perhaps play the Spider-Man villain Mr. Negative, or play a part of the villain group The Hand in Daredevil.

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Robert Downey Jr.’s The Sympathizer Is A Gripping HBO Drama

Robert Downey Jr. in The Sympathizer
The historical black comedy-drama series, The Sympathizer, tells the story of the Captain, a North Vietnam spy in the South Vietnam army. He flees into the U.S. and lives among the South Vietnamese refugees while continuing to spy on them. Robert Downey Jr. dons multiple roles in the film, playing several antagonists including a CIA agent, an auteur filmmaker, the Captain’s professor, and even a Congressman.

According to FandomWire’s review, the show is a stylish and fun espionage thriller. The review detailed that the “biggest draw” of the project is likely the performance of Downey Jr. The series has an 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Downey Jr.’s production company, Team Downey, was involved in the production of this series.

The Sympathizer is now available for streaming on Max.

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