A Marvel character you probably didn’t realize is played by the Say Nothing star

The FX miniseries “Say Nothing” resurfaced back in November, but despite its delayed release date and unseen announcements, it has managed to sneak in Some of the best TV shows of 2024. The series is based on the 2018 non-fiction book by Patrick Radden Cave, the full title of which is “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland”.

The story of the book and series spans decades, focusing on the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the scars it has left. The Troubles refer to the terrorist campaign waged by the Provisional Irish Republican Army and attempts by British forces to suppress it, which raged from the 1960s until the 1994 ceasefire.

One of the main characters in this novel is Brendan Hughes, an IRA leader who ends up disillusioned in middle age; Not with the case, but with his former friend (key peace broker) Gerry Adams for “betraying” the IRA and not offering a truly united Ireland free of Britain. The real Hughes (who died in 2008) recounted his time in the IRA for an oral history for Boston College’s Belfast Project, and tapes of him were vital to Raden Keefe’s book and this new TV show.

Hughes plays Anthony Boyle in his younger days (1970s) and then Tom Vaughan Lawlor in the 1990s and 2000s clips. Watching Vaughan-Lawlor in “Say Nothing,” I felt like I recognized him from something else. So, I checked his Wikipedia page, and I was right; He previously played Frank Mackey in the 2019 film “Dublin Murders.” Tana French’s truly famous novels “Dublin Murder Squad”.. What was it? a lot Even more surprising is the discovery that he also played the evil alien Ebony Mao in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame.”

Master server for Thanos (Josh Brolin)Mao is a telekinetic sadist and one of the four members of the “Black Order” who serve the Mad Titan. Created by Marvel Comics artist Jerome Obiña, Mao is a grey-skinned, thick-lipped, noseless alien who barely looks human.

Not surprisingly, Vaughan Lawlor looks even more unrecognizable as Mao than he does with his distinctive thick black Brendan Hughes mustache.

One of the most puzzling Marvel Cinematic Universe picks for me are Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnightanother of the Black Order. Yes, let’s hire this famous actress, give her unrecognizable makeup, and barely give her a word to say. Vaughan Lawlor as Mao is the only one of the four who makes an impact, especially since he talks a lot (but also dies first). Mao further disguises his actor, speaking with an upper-class British accent, rather than Vaughan Lawlor’s Irish accent.

So, yeah, Ebony Maw – an interesting villain, but certainly nowhere near as good a showing for Vaughan-Lawlor as Hughes.

During the Troubles, Hughes (as played by Boyle) was the IRA field commander in Belfast; Adams is the brains of the operation, and Hughes is the fist. The roles they choose are not just about intelligence; Hughes also has the charisma to lead an army, while Adams is colder and ruthless, the kind of man best served when making calls from the backroom, not leading men from the front.

In theory, Vaughan Lawlor has an easier task than Brendan. While Boyle has numerous scene partners and action scenes, Vaughan Lawlor mostly remains in the framing device. His scenes as Brendan are dialogue only, and many scenes are just close-ups of him speaking into a microphone on his couch. However, when listening to Brendan tell his story, you are just as drawn in as she is to the scenes she is recreating.

Vaughan Lawlor plays Brendan and is not Haunted Exactly because of the violence and his role in it, but he was disappointed. He once said that none of the deaths at his hands were worth it, but with no mention of the asterisk that would have been had the IRA “won”. You totally buy this guy as a person He was A fiery inferno of a life of party charisma, long ago, but now all extinguished in disappointment.

Vaughan Lawlor played a small role in making “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame” so memorable, but he played a vital role in doing the same in “Say Nothing.”

“Say Nothing” is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.