Fans often see performers and think they’d be great in certain roles. With so many comic book characters available and the plethora of new and talented stars popping up, fan casting will never end. Sadly, sometimes a performer is put into a role that doesn’t show their skills. In this case, we have the Love Lies Bleeding star Katy M. O'Brian. To put it lightly, Marvel Studios dropped the ball with her.
If you remember more than a few things in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, you’re in the minority of people who’ve seen the disappointing third Ant-Man movie. It’s not as if the movie didn’t have good parts. However, after the first two films, people expected more.
Ant-Man 3 lacked the fun and very Disney appeal that viewers expected; it wasn't a light-hearted heist movie like its predecessors. It also featured characters that either didn’t exist in Marvel Comics or weren't worth using. In the case of Katy M. O’Brian, she played a lesser-known alien named Jentorra. A role that could have gone to a performer who was just getting their start. O'Brian, on the other hand, deserved a far stronger role.
Admittedly, I'm being a bit of a Monday morning quarterback. Katy O’Brian didn't have the movie roles to her name back then that she does now. Before Ant-Man 3, I only knew her from Black Lightning and The Mandalorian. Nevertheless, you could see the talent within her. She had this uncanny ability to be the focus of the scene even if she wasn’t the star of the show. This is especially true in Black Lightning. That’s why picking her to play a (sorry to say) throwaway character in the MCU is disappointing.
O’Brian is someone who could have been a focal point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If not the main character, then another well-known or established character. A character like Lady Sif of Asgard or X-Men villain Spiral are two of many options. Or, even better, she could have been Caiera in a Planet Hulk movie. Now, if this is something she desires, perhaps another movie studio will cast her to be a major part of their comic book universe.
DC Comics has announced that a Wonder Woman project is in the works, and she would fit right in. She has the build and demeanor to play an Amazon like Hippolyta. Since the Amazons age slowly, it's believable if she were to play one of the elders. If a creator wanted to tell a story away from Themyscira, there’s always Amazons like Artemis of Bana-Mighdall. Or, she could be one of Diana's villains and play Giganta. Who wouldn’t want to see those two fight?
We could go beyond Marvel and DC and venture into Image Comics. There are a number of Viltrumites from Invincible that she could play. In The Wicked + The Divine, there’s The Morrigan. Or maybe the plethora of alien characters in Saga is the way to go. The latter two are less physical roles, but they give the audience a chance to see how good of an actress she is.
In short, Marvel Studios could have used Katy O’Brian better than they did. Of course, Jentorra could have been the perfect role for her personally, and she could be happy with what she accomplished. Nevertheless, she deserved better than what Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania offered her. Now she's booked and busy, and it could be too late for Marvel Studios to cast her for something big.