Eric Dane Was Perfectly Cast In A Divisive Marvel Movie (And Deserved More Screentime)

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Eric Dane recently passed away after being diagnosed with ALS. He was just 53, which is far too young (not to state the obvious). Still, the actor left behind an impressive and varied body of work. Dane was best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan on "Grey's Anatomy," but that was just one credit in a career that spanned decades. At one point, he even ventured into the world of superheroes as a member of the cast of a divisive "X-Men" movie.

The movie in question is 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand," which is often ranked as one of the worst "X-Men movies" ever (along with X-Men Origins: Wolverine," generally speaking). Part of why it's divisive and frustrating is because the film has quite a few good elements, including some great actors in the right roles. That includes Dane, who co-starred as Multiple Man in the film (itself the direct sequel to 2000's "X-Men" and 2003's much-beloved "X2: X-Men United").

This particular "X-Men" movie picks up after a "mutant cure" is found. In the aftermath of this discovery, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men, with Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and his cohort on one side while Magneto (Ian McKellen) leads the Brotherhood of Mutants on the other. A clash for the future of humanity then ensues, with Dane's Multiple Man becoming one of Magneto's allies.

Unfortunately, even though Dane is very well suited to the role of Jamie Madrox, aka Multiple Man, his screen time is very limited in the movie. In a better world and in a better film, this character would have been given more room to shine.

One of the big problems with "X-Men: The Last Stand" is that it introduces far too many new characters, resulting in splintering plotlines that are all competing against one another. On top of the "mutant cure" storyline, the movie also tried to adapt the classic "Dark Phoenix" arc, with Famke Janssen's Jean Grey becoming the Phoenix. The 2019 box office flop "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" would later try to tackle that material more directly, but it, too, fumbled the ball.

In any event, that didn't leave much space for Eric Dane to stand out as Multiple Man in "The Last Stand." What we do get of him is fun and provides plenty of proof that he's a great fit for his role; it's just the rest of the movie that didn't suit him. He's also but one of many missed opportunities in the film, which similarly underutilizes Kelsey Grammer as Beast in addition to wasting some treasured Marvel Comics source material. Dane's wasted casting is just part of a much larger mess.

Speaking to Bleeding Cool in 2024, Dane expressed interest in returning to his "X-Men" role in a more meaningful way:

"I always thought Multiple Man would make a great standalone movie, and think Marvel should make that. I wouldn't mind returning and starring in that."

Sadly, Dane never got the chance to reprise the role. 2024's "Deadpool & Wolverine" featured lots of references and Easter eggs related to Fox's "X-Men" movie universe, but Dane just wasn't part of the proceedings. Alas, "The Last Stand" and its misuse of Multiple Man will have to remain an unredeemed mistake.

You can grab "X-Men: The Last Stand" on Blu-ray from Amazon.