Whenever a movie is being cast, especially a high profile movie, the casting process can be long and grueling. It takes a lot of effort to find the perfect person for a role that is bound to go down in history as one of the most classic characters and performances in film history. That is the case even more so when we’re talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But before it became the MCU that we know today, the studio and casting directors had to make sure the actors they were putting into the roles of some of the most classic comic book characters ever to grace the Marvel Universe were the perfect fit.
It’s definitely a lot harder than it looks. Which means that they usually bring several different actors and actresses to read and even screen test for the roles they are casting. And it may even surprise you some of the actors who came perilously close to getting the role of a lifetime.
Eventually, they would find their perfect Iron Man or Captain America or Black Widow, but it took a lot of hard work and knowledge of what they were looking for. At this point, we cannot imagine anyone else in those roles that we previously mentioned, but it does make you wonder what the MCU would be like if some of the actors in this list had indeed got the part they auditioned for.
So if you have ever been curious about who almost played these amazing comic book characters we love so much, then look no further, because here are the 25 Actors Who Missed Their Chance To Join The MCU.
25 Emily Blunt As Black Widow
Emily Blunt has had many starring roles in hit blockbuster films, so it’s no wonder that she was nearly cast as the strong and highly skilled assassin, Black Widow a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff. It was due to scheduling conflicts with other projects that she could not fulfill the role.
Of course, Scarlet Johannson was the one the role of Black Widow ultimately went to, and she has played the part extraordinarily well too. But we can’t help but wonder how different the franchise would be with Blunt in the same role.
24 Another Hemsworth In The Role Of Thor?
Well, this is certainly interesting. It seems that Liam Hemsworth, brother of Chris Hemsworth, was up for the role of Thor as well as his brother.
Liam actually ended up getting multiple callbacks during the audition process, while Chris had only the one audition and never heard back.
But when his agent convinced the powers that be to give him another shot, he stepped up his game and ultimately won the role over his younger brother. And the rest is history.
23 Steve Buscemi As The Hulk
This may seem like an odd casting to most, but if you’ll recall, Bruce Banner was never technically handsome or bulked up in every iteration. Bruce is more known for being incredibly intelligent and a mild-mannered scientist.
So if you think about it, if they had written the script in a specific way to suit Buscemi, he actually would have been kind of perfect for the role.
He had even screen tested for the part, but the role eventually went to Eric Bana instead.
22 A New Cap In Town
John Krasinski has had much success in his career ever since he starred on The Office. Recently he had his directorial debut of the horror film, A Quiet Place, become a monster hit and it has been highly praised by critics.
But before that happened, he auditioned for the role of Captain America….and actually got pretty far in the auditioning process.
He regaled Conan O’Brien with a story about actually trying on the character’s costume. But once he saw Chris Hemsworth in his Thor get-up, it hit him that he just wasn’t Captain America.
But at least everything worked out perfectly not only for him but for Chris Evans as well.
21 It’s Always Sunny In The Galaxy
Chris Pratt has come a long way from his time on Parks and Recreation. He was wildly funny on the show as Andy Dwyer, but he has transformed from a comedic television star to full-blown A-list Celebrity thanks to his starring role in Guardians of the Galaxy.
While we could never picture anyone else in that witty and awesome role, there was another actor James Gunn - the director of the Guardians films - would have picked as his second choice.
And that is Glenn Howerton from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
He, too, would have been hilarious in the role and done it justice, I’m sure.
20 Adam Sandler Voicing Rocket Raccoon
Adam Sandler is a fantastic comedian, as long as he does the type of comedy you prefer. But it’s hard to imagine his well-known voice and comedic take to mesh well with the role of Rocket Raccoon.
But he was certainly not only up for the role but auditioned for it too.
It eventually went to Bradley Cooper, who has been able to intelligently make Rocket both funny and endearing, even when he’s being a bit much. And that is quite the feat.
19 An Oscar Contender Could Have Been Spider-Man
The role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man has been recast numerous amount of time at this point, but the latest version of Spidey is played by Tom Holland, who is doing a fantastic job.
But there was another actor who came very close to getting the part when they were doing the latest recasting for Captain America: Civil War. And that was Timothée Chalamet.
He has since been in the critically acclaimed hit, Call Me By Your Name and even scored an Oscar Nod for the role. So I guess he’s doing just fine.
18 Kate Hudson As Spider-Man’s Love Interest?
In the original adaptation of Spider-Man, we had Tobey Maguire in the role of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. We also had Kirsten Dunst playing his main love interest - Mary Jane.
She was amazing, of course, with the way she made you feel the fiery chemistry between Mary Jane and Spider-Man/Peter Parker.
But first, Kate Hudson was approached for the role by Sam Raimi.
She apparently politely turned it down, since, at that point in her career, she didn’t want to take on a “huge tent-pole” film.
17 Lord Of The Rings Meets X-Men
Whenever someone pictures Wolverine, the only image that comes to mind of the comic book character is the retractable claws…and Hugh Jackman’s face. Hugh Jackman has made the role of Wolverine so iconic, that I myself literally cannot imagine anyone else portraying the classic comic book character.
But there was another actor who was considered for the role and that was Viggo Mortensen.
He was rumored to be in talks with Bryan Singer for the role of Wolverine, but ultimately it went to Jackman. Apparently, Mortensen turned it down to star in Lord of the Rings, so I guess it worked out for him and Jackman both.
16 From One Villain To Another
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is known for his portrayal of Sir Jamie Lannister on the hit HBO series, Game Of Thrones. He started out as the villain of the show, but has reformed…a bit…over the course of several seasons.
But he also could have been known for the portrayal of another villain - Crossbones.
Crossbones made an appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and was played by actor Frank Grillo. But before he was cast, several other actors screen tested for the part of Brock Rumlow, including the Game Of Thrones star. Oh, what could have been…
15 Mary Elizabeth Winstead As Sharon Carter
You have probably seen Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a number of things, most notably Fargo and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. But there was one role she missed out on that was just as notable, and this time, in the MCU.
She was considered for the role of Sharon Carter, Agent Carter’s niece and a love interest of Captain America’s.
Of course, Emily Van Camp of Revenge fame ended up snagging the role instead, but Mary would have done just fine with it too, I’m sure.
14 Keira Knightley Takes On Agent Carter
Before Hayley Atwell was cast as Agent Margaret “Peggy” Carter, there was a different actress considered who is quite famous for her past role as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean - Keira Knightley.
Keira is a household name in Hollywood, but as we all know, it did end up being Atwell that we saw in Captain America: The First Avenger, and she did a remarkable job. We can only hope that Knightley will get another shot at a superhero film in the future.
13 Emma Stone Playing The Wasp
Emma Stone has become a household name over the past several years, especially since her huge hit Easy A came out in 2010. That caused her to skyrocket into superstardom and she has never looked back.
So it is no wonder that when casting a Marvel movie, her name has come up at some point. And that is precisely what happened when Edgar Wright was still directing Ant-Man and was looking to cast The Wasp.
But once he stepped down from the project, the part eventually went to the lovely Evangeline Lilly, who has played the part beautifully.
12 The JoBros As Cap?
This has got to be the most baffling one yet, but I promise you, it is not a joke. Apparently, both Kevin and Joe Jonas of The Jonas Brothers auditioned for the iconic role of Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America.
They had expressed interest and even were able to get auditions for the role, but they obviously didn’t end up winning the part in the end.
It is probably for the better since Chris Evans’ portrayal of Cap showed that he was meant to play the part.
Plus, I can’t really imagine either of these pop-rockers fronting the Avengers.
11 A House Alum As A Guardian Of The Galaxy
Zoe Saldana has taken on the role of Gamora seamlessly, so it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the alluringly dangerous green-skinned heroine.
But before she was cast, the role was initially offered to Olivia Wilde.
Olivia Wilde, whose fame truly began on House, for some unknown reason decided to turn down the role of Gamora.
It’s difficult to be sad about it, though, despite the fact that Wilde is a great actress. Because Saldana has made Gamora into one of the most iconic characters in the MCU, so we would never want to see anyone else take it on.
10 Lindsay Lohan Takes On Maria Hill
It was revealed by Lohan herself that she was nearly cast in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, though she never actually revealed who it was she was supposed to play.
She claimed that her manager didn’t “push hard enough” to get her the role and that it ultimately went to an actress that she considered as being an “unknown”.
TIME did a process of elimination and eventually decided that it must have been the part of Maria Hill, which went to Colbie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother fame. I think it all worked out how it was supposed to, in the end.
9 Jeff Goldblum As The Hulk
Pretty much everyone finds Jeff Goldblum to be not only immensely charming but an incredible actor who has taken on several roles that have become beloved by the masses. But it seems that even with all of that, he still couldn’t snag a pivotal role in the MCU.
He had played a scientist both in Jurassic Park as well as The Fly, but he still didn’t get the part of Bruce Banner.
This was after Billy Crudup had passed on the role, and Ang Lee went on a search for the right Hulk. Goldblum just didn’t make the cut, evidently.
8 Timothy Olyphant As Iron Man
Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man, was the first Avenger to kick off the MCU-Avenger franchise. And if it weren’t for Robert Downey Jr. playing the role to perfection, we may not have had such a great success.
But there was another actor who has quite the large fanbase who possibly could have nailed the role as well, even if it was with a different take on it.
And that was Timothy Olyphant. He not only auditioned for the role but widely expressed interest in it publicly. In the end, it went to RDJ, who ironically had screen-tested for the role the same day as Olyphant. Awkward.
7 Daredevil As Loki
When it came time to cast the role of Loki, Thor’s adopted brother, it took a lot of time and effort to find the perfect actor for the role. As we all know, it eventually went to the incomparable Tom Hiddleston, and from that point on, it was impossible to imagine anyone else in the villainous role.
But before he was cast, another actor had auditioned for it - Charlie Cox.
He was indeed up to play the iconic character before Hiddleston came along and snatched it for himself.
At least Charlie went on to play another Marvel character - Daredevil.
6 An Iron Man Villain Could Have Been Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. has made the role of Tony Stark so incredibly impossible to duplicate that it is near impossible to imagine anyone else in the role that truly kicked off the success of the MCU.
But before he was officially cast, Jon Favreau who directed the film had indeed fought for him to play Tony Stark. He did admit, however, that Sam Rockwell was also on a short list of actors who could play Stark, should Robert not work out.
While the part did go to him, Sam Rockwell still got to be in Iron Man 2. Only this time, it was as a villain - Justin Hammer.
