James McAvoy’s New Villain Movie Role Is What We’ve Waited 8 Years For

James McAvoy played an antagonist in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy, but his new movie role will deliver the villain performance viewers have waited eight years for. McAvoy got his big break in 2007’s Atonement, and he went on to play a young Professor X in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men movies. Although his stint in the superhero genre started as a hero, the actor later joined Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy as a villain. The 2016 film Split marked his debut as Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with 24 different personalities, one of whom becomes a deadly superhuman dubbed The Beast.

McAvoy gave a standout performance in Split, which set the stage for a gripping showdown between The Beast and Bruce Willis’ Overseer in the final Unbreakable movie. Unfortunately, McAvoy’s return to the role of Kevin was underwhelming after his journey in Split. Fortunately, the actor’s new horror movie will give him the opportunity to play the villain he didn’t get to after Split in 2016.

Glass Was Disappointing After The Success Of Split

M. Night Shyamalan’s Sequel Didn’t Deliver On Kevin Or McAvoy’s Potential

Although McAvoy paints a picture of an intimidating and somewhat empathetic antagonist in Split, its follow-up fails to deliver on the character’s true potential. Kevin Wendell Crumb returns in Glass, but Shyamalan’s 2019 film is disappointing compared to its predecessor. This is especially true when it comes to Kevin, who only turns into The Beast twice over the film’s run — and neither instance leaves as much of an impact as his transformation in Split. His character comes off as far less intimidating throughout Glass, and viewers only see his darker side at the beginning of the film.

While it’s clear that Kevin and several of his personalities have good in them, it’s a shame that Glass doesn’t spotlight Patricia, Dennis, and The Beast in the same way Split does. It also doesn’t handle the complexity of Kevin’s character all that well, either. Although his scenes with Anya Taylor-Joy’s Casey are meant to elicit empathy for Kevin and his inner struggle, there are far too few of these moments to do this storyline justice. All in all, Glass doesn’t do enough with McAvoy’s character, likely because it’s trying to juggle Samuel L. Jackson’s villain as well.

Speak No Evil Can Resurrect James McAvoy As A Horror Villain

McAvoy never got to deliver on his Split character’s potential. However, Speak No Evil can finally resurrect McAvoy as a horror movie villain. The film will see McAvoy playing a husband and father who seems ordinary and charming on the surface — but turns into a more sinister person when friends come to visit. The trailer for the 2024 remake showcases a performance that’s reminiscent of Split and Glass. It’s clear McAvoy is capable of ramping up tensions and intimidating those on-screen and off. Speak No Evil could be James McAvoy‘s chance to truly steal the show as a villain.