In many parts of this list I'll be listing more than one candidate for a given role, and by that I mean that I feel either actor could do justice to the character. But not here. For the Endless appear in a number of different guises, and the reader learns to see them in characteristics that have little to do with their race (a nebulous concept anyway for god-like characters depicted as literally paper white). Destiny is a hood and a book, Desire is androgyny and impeccable style, Death is one kohl-ed eye and a necklace.
Here, a list of candidates represents actors and actresses who should all play the character, in the same franchise, if not the same movie.
The Endless
Destiny Benicio Del Toro, Patrick Stewart, Lawrence Fishburne
Because what we really need in the role of Destiny is a voice that makes you look up and a physical presence that will keep you looking even when you can't see any of the speaker's features.
Death: Janelle Monae, Tatiana Maslany, Billie Piper
As you might expect, Death has a lot of facets to her, especially as the most reliably cheerful of the Endless. Janelle Monae could have a lot of fun with the wardrobe, Orphan Black has taught us that Tatiana Maslany can literally do anything, and if Billie Piper can do Bad Wolf and the Moment, she can play the older sister of the King of Dreams.
Dream: Benedict Cumberbatch, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Daniel Dae Kim
If I had to pick a single actor to play Dream, Benedict Cumberbatch would be it, but then who would play the younger, ancient African version of the character we see in the pivotal story of Nada? Nathan Stewart-Jarrett of Misfits and his cheekbones leapt readily to mind.
Desire: Tilda Swinton, Jiz Lee, Lee Pace
Tilda Swinton is everybody's first choice for a androgynous character, but why not also offer the role to genderqueer porn star Jiz Lee? And then I felt bad for leaving out the male-identified, so I added Lee Pace, who also has experience with blurring his gender-presentation for roles, and no, I'm not talking about Thranduil.
Despair: Pat Carroll, Kate Mulgrew, Pam Grier
Despair, the least "Hollywood looking" of the Endless, was a tough one. But once I decided to work from the assumption that she would be a primarily CGI creation (at least because having an always entirely nude character on set is a production challenge) and try to think of an actress who could deliver a great mocap performance for a character who is constantly tearing at her own flesh with a hooked barb... then I thought immediately of Pat Carroll, the voice of Ursula. Kate Mulgrew and Pam Grier followed soon afterward.
Destruction: Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba, Jason Momoa
In his few appearances in the series, Destruction is depicted as charming, handsome, lighthearted, and good with his hands. And also sometimes a giant man with a giant beard and a giant laugh in giant armor. It was not difficult to think of folks who could do that role justice.
Delirium Natalie Portman, Rinko Kikuchi, Natasha Lyonne
The youngest of the Endless, Delirium was slow to come to us. An actress who can flip deftly from sullen teen, to the fridge horror of a manic pixie dream girl with reality warping powers, to the iron-cored godess that Delirium calls on when she has to, appears younger than the rest of the Endless, and can pull off a shaved head is a bit of a high bar. Between The Professional and V for Vendetta, I feel like Portman's got that covered, Natasha Lyonne has impressed in Orange is the New Black, and I mean come on, I know all you Pacific Rim fans just want to Rinko Kikuchi in something else.
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