Christopher Eccleston open to another Marvel movie... provided it's more than prosthetics

Fantastic! Christopher Eccleston, who played the Ninth Doctor on the series Doctor Who and has starred in such genre fare as Thor: The Dark World, HBO's The Leftovers, and 28 Days Later, said at the Javits Center’s Main Stage at New York Comic Con on Thursday that he could be open to acting in another Marvel movie. Provided, of course, that the writing is good — and that the role is more than just makeup and prosthetics. 

A fan asked Eccleston if Marvel Studios were to offer him another role in a future film without the insane makeup (which made his experience acitng in Thor: The Dark World miserable), would he accept? And if so, would he play a hero or a villain?

"The answer is both," said Eccleston, before adding: "I want the hammer."

After that joke got huge laughs from the crowd, he followed that up with, "Can you imagine?"

But Eccleston apparently was serious about being open to returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying that a really well-written villain can be a great experience. 

"Just ask Tom Hiddleston," he said.

But the actor reiterated: "It has to be more than the prosthetics." 

To this, someone in the crowd said: "If Marvel's in the room, Norman Osborne...?" Which made the audience applaud and Eccleston laugh deviously. 

The actor was also asked what role he learned from the most, to which he replied: "The Doctor." 

"I learned responsibility," he explained. "With the nine-month shoot, you have to achieve the call sheet. There's an intense pressure. I also learned about the politics and the money."

And although he believes "some professional pride was sacrificed" in not doing a second season of Doctor Who, he reitereated what he's said in previous interviews that he had to leave.

"There's nothing wrong with standing up for what you believe in," said Eccleston. "Because if you stand up for yourself, it will manifest itself in your work in the future."

Despite having "lost [his] confidence" in his acting and "being blacklisted" in the U.K. for four years after leaving Doctor Who, Eccleston appears to have warmed up to his legacy as The Doctor. After helping revive the long-dormant series in 2005, Eccleston left the show after doing only one season, and declined to return for the 50th anniversary special Day of the Doctor in 2013. He ultimately attributed his acrimonious parting of the ways with Doctor Who to a breakdown in his relationship with his “three immediate supervisors,” including then-showrunner Russel T Davies.

But now, not only is Eccleston appearing at New York Comic Con to discuss his time in the TARDIS, but he has also been seen unofficially reprising the role in impromptu videos, one congratulating a pair of fans on their nuptials and another helping a fan propose. Perhaps the actor just needed a little time — and space — away from the role to appreciate it.

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