While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of iconic A-list actors, many more stars have missed out on the opportunity to be superheroes, or villains. Here are some of the MCU roles that could have been.
When one thinks of the super people within the MCU, they may think of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man or Tom Hiddleston as Loki.
The entirety of the Marvel universe is absolutely filled to the brim with popular actors who took these iconic comic book roles and brought them to life, and many more who will do so in the range of upcoming Marvel movies, too.
However, there are some big name celebrities out there who completely missed out on the opportunity to be enshrined in this world, so let’s take a look at which A-list celebs lost their chance to play a Marvel role.
A-list celebrities who didn’t get to play iconic MCU characters
Below is a round up of some popular celebrities who auditioned or were offered the role of a Marvel character and either got rejected or turned it down for some reason.
Olivia Wilde as Gamora
Olivia Wilde was one of the top actors to play the gun-toting assassin in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but she ultimately turned down the role. Speaking to The Guardian, Wilde vented about her frustration about being typecast as “the badass” and someone who doesn’t “feel very human,” so it’s not a total surprise that she didn’t want to be in the film as that exact character type.
The role then went to Zoe Saldaña, who played the character for the entirety of the Guardians trilogy along with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Timothée Chalamet as Spider-Man
Before becoming the sandy star of Dune he is today, Timothée Chalamet was in line to lead a new trilogy of Spider-Man films produced by Marvel. He read for the part two different times and left each audition “sweating in a total panic.” Unfortunately, he was passed over for the role, but there’s still some hope he may be able to don a costume for another superhero company in the future.
Tom Holland ended up leading three Spider-Man movies: Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home. He has also been in three Avengers films so far, and we should see more of him in Spider-Man 4, too.
Jason Momoa as Drax the Destroyer
Jason Momoa had the chance to be a Marvel hero when he was offered the role of Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy. However, he ended up turning down the chance to be in a Gunn film because he had “done so many things where I don’t say much and I’m colored up and I have my shirt off again.” Momoa still got the opportunity to play a big name hero as he’s starred as Aquaman in several DCEU films.
Drax’s role went to Dave Bautista, who went to star in all three of the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
Alan Ritchson as Thor
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Before he was the punch-drive Jack Reacher, Alan Ritchson had a real shot to play Thor, God of Thunder, but actually stood in his own way. When speaking to Men’s Health, Ritchson admitted he didn’t take the audition seriously and thought the producers would “throw [him] the part if I look like the guy; nobody really cares about acting.” However, the casting team saw this act as him not being serious about the role and passed on him.
Australian heartthrob Chris Hemsworth ended up booking the gig and went on to not only star in the Avengers film, but also in his own four-part solo series.
Emily Blunt as Black Widow
Emily Blunt almost got the opportunity to done the iconic black catsuit and play Black Widow in the MCU, but the timing just wasn’t right. The actress has been incredibly candid when talking about how “heartbreaking” it was to turn down the role of Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 as she was contractually obligated to the film Gulliver’s Travels at the same time.
Scarlett Johansson took the role in Iron Man 2, which led to her being featured heavily in the Avengers projects and finally getting her own solo movie in 2021.
John Krasinski as Captain America
Though John Krasinski has already appeared in the MCU with a fantastic cameo in Doctor Strange 2, he was actually slated to play Captain America. Krasinski has explained that he was brought in as another option for the role and the audition went well. He even got the chance to try on Cap’s iconic costume but, in the end, Marvel decided to pass on him.
Captain America was then given to Chris Evans, who starred in his own solo trilogy and led the money-making machines that were the Avengers films.
Tom Cruise as Iron Man
It may seem strange now, but there was a real point in time when Tom Cruise was the frontrunner to play Tony Stark/Iron Man aka the father of the MCU. However, it’s revealed in the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios that Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, decided to reject Cruise for the role because his “asking fee at the time was more than even a profitable studio like Fox was willing to risk on an untested superhero property.”
In what would turn out to be the best decision the studio had ever made, the role of Iron Man was given to Robert Downey Jr., who helped to cement the MCU as the tour de force it is today.
Joaquin Phoenix as Doctor Strange
In an alternate universe, the MCU’s mythical sorcerer Doctor Strange was going to be played by Joaquin Phoenix. The actor has hinted that he was in the running to for the role, but expressed that, though he enjoys the films made by Marvel, he was “happy with how things turned out” and that “all parties were satisfied.”
Despite not taking on the MCU role, Phoenix did join the comic book world as he currently stars as Joker, one of Batman’s iconic villains, in Todd Phillips’ productions. Look out for him in Joker 2, next. Benedict Cumberbatch ended up as Doctor Strange and has starred in two solo films along with being in the Avengers, and he will have a bigger role to play in new movies as part of the MCU’s future, too.
That’s all for the alternate universe that could have been with these MCU roles that never became a reality. For more from Marvel, check out what we know about Captain America 4, Avengers 5, and The Fantastic Four. Or, dive into our guide on all the best new movies hitting streaming this month.
