Simon Pegg has explained away the rumors of him wanting to play Marvel's Captain Britain. Pegg has been part of some huge franchises in recent years, including Star Trek and Mission Impossible, and he even took on a role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens back in 2015. It seems obvious that the English actor would be interested in entering the superhero scene, but appearances can be deceiving.
Captain Britain, real name Brian Braddock, first appeared back in 1976, in Captain Britain Weekly #1. He is tasked with the duty to uphold the law in Britain. and is gifted extraordinary powers by Merlyn and his daughter, Roma, in order to do so. Similarly to Bruce Banner, Braddock holds a PhD in physics, and actually takes on The Hulk himself in Excalibur #14 (1988). Originally intended to be exclusively for British audiences, Captain Britain's popularity garnered him worldwide success, even enlisting the writing talents of Alan Moore.
Related: Here's Why Jeremy Renner Isn't In Mission: Impossible - Fallout
At the press junket for his new film Mission: Impossible - Fallout in Paris, Screen Rant asked Pegg if he'd be interested in getting into the superhero game. After all, he'd been previously rumored to appear in Ant-Man, back when his frequent collaborator Edgar Wright was attached to direct. Also, rumors have recently circulated of Pegg wanting to play the aforementioned Captain Britain. Pegg responded with the following clarification.
I think somebody asked me recently at an interview that had nothing to do with superheroes. What superhero would I'd like to play. And I just sort of said Captain Britain, because I used to get the Hulk Weekly when I was a kid. And Captain Britain debuted in that. And he's a British superhero. I used to read the Knights of Pendragon. And I figured that was a good answer. Suddenly, all these rumors popped up. Oh, Simon Pegg wants to play Captain Britain. I don't really. But you know, I mean, I try to take every job as it comes. I don't have any ambition really to be in anything else, other than what I'm in now. If something comes up and it looks good, of course it'll be fun. I love watching the Marvel films. They're always so well executed. They've done a fantastic job with that sort of extended universe of movies. But I'm happy to be an audience member.
It's a shame that the actor the world has grown to love as Benji from Mission: Impossible, Scotty from Star Trek, and Unkar from Star Wars, doesn't seem to want a role in the MCU right now, but that's not to say that he never will. Pegg said that he "tries to take every job as it comes," and seems to acknowledge that playing the role of Captain Britain would likely be fun if it were ever offered to him.
Outside of possible Marvel appearances, Pegg's latest big film, Mission Impossible - Fallout, is soon set to hit theaters. Pegg is reprising his role as Benji Dunn, alongside Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin, and many more. He may not be playing Captain Britain any time soon, but he's at least revealed that he doesn't see Benji going anywhere any time soon, so it isn't all bad news for Pegg's devoted fans. He's also set to make his directorial debut this year, so there's still much to look forward to, in spite of his stated desire to enjoy the MCU as a member of the audience for now.