Landing a role in a Marvel movie means potential stardom for up-and-coming actors, renewed
popularity for aging vets, and a fat paycheck for anyone willing to don a cool metal suit.
But despite Marvel's impact on the modern movie business, not every actor is keen to
put on a mask and do battle with alien armies.
Here are a few actors who refused big Marvel roles.
Russell Crowe
These days, Marvel movies are guaranteed to bring in big numbers at the box office, but
before the year 2000, that wasn't necessarily the case.
Fortunately, things started to change for Marvel when Bryan Singer's X-Men first hit
the bigscreen.
It's credited as the film that gave rise to the modern era of superhero movies, and transformed
Hugh Jackman from a stage performer into a Hollywood A-lister.
But according to the actor, it was pure luck he got the part in the first place.
At one point, the filmmakers turned to Russell Crowe to play Wolverine, who was fresh off
the set of Gladiator.
However, Crowe turned the part down for a reason that's, well, a little weird.
"I'd just done a character whose animal totem was a wolf, ya know, which was that fellow
Max in Gladiator.
So I didn't want to be connected with a wolf again."
Of course, Crowe further clarified his reasoning…
"and plus it's a cartoon,"
"It was a cartoon"
"and I'm not really into those."
But that didn't really stop him from appearing in Man of Steel.
Luckily for superhero fans everywhere, he did recommend that Bryan Singer go with Hugh
Jackman, who'd previously auditioned for the part.
Matt Damon
As hard as we try, no one can forget 2003's Daredevil.
While the Ben Affleck flick did well financially, critics tore it apart.
When asked about the film in 2016, Affleck responded,
"I hated Daredevil so much, you know what i mean.
I did ok, don't feel bad for me."
Turns out that Affleck could've been spared all that embarrassment if his best friend
had accepted the role first.
Matt Damon was offered the part of Daredevil, and it was a pretty tempting deal, since Damon
and Affleck considered Daredevil to be their favorite superhero.
But when Damon was approached with the project, reportedly he just wasn't impressed with the
script or familiar enough with the director.
Affleck couldn't say no, and has come to regret that decision.
But at least Daredevil's failure inspired him to get his next superhero movie "right."
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Over the years, there have been a lot of whispers about Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, but JGL has denied them all, from Doctor Strange to Ant-Man.
Nevertheless, according to Deadline, the actor was in the running for the role of Peter Quill,
a.k.a. Star-Lord, which he allegedly turned down to play the character of Johnny in Sin
City: A Dame to Kill For.
Which probably wasn't a great choice for Gordon-Levitt, but we're pretty happy with Chris Pratt.
Olivia Munn
When Deadpool hit theaters in early 2016, moviegoers went wild for the film's raunchy
humor and bloody shootouts.
X-Men: Apocalypse, on the other hand, wasn't quite so successful, limping away from theaters
with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 48 percent.
But none of these numbers really mattered to Olivia Munn.
Before signing up to play the role of Psylocke in X-Men, Munn was first offered the role
of Vanessa Carlysle, Deadpool's "scrappy" girlfriend.
Munn turned the part down in favor of playing the spandex-clad mutant, saying that she wasn't
interested in playing the protagonist's "eye candy."
Instead, she wanted to be a character with "powerful abilities", extreme fighting skills…
and a costume that's pretty much underpants.
Mel Gibson
It was a coup for Marvel's movies when award-winner Anthony Hopkins agreed to join the MCU as
Odin, Thor's father and king of Asgard.
While he seems like an obvious pick for the role, he wasn't the only actor in the running
for the Allfather.
In an interview with The Guardian, Mel Gibson explained that he was asked to play Odin,
but, as he succinctly put it, "I didn't do it."
At first glance, the action star seems an odd pick to play the stately Norse god, but
with a solid background in Shakespearean theater, Gibson probably would've felt comfortable
with Odin's aristocratic dialogue.
Of course, with all the controversy surrounding the actor, it was probably best for the MCU
that Gibson turned down the part.
Jessica Chastain
Iron Man 3 was the second highest-grossing domestic movie of 2013, and its praise and
profit isn't undeserved.
Audiences enjoyed witty dialogue, a brilliant plot twist, and one of the greatest ending
set-pieces in Marvel movie history.
The only thing it really lacked was Jessica Chastain.
The studio wanted Chastain to play the part of Maya Hansen, a scientist who may or may
not be on Tony Stark's side.
Unfortunately, Chastain had to pass on the role because she was just too busy.
She said to her Facebook fans,
"I know many of you want me to be involved, and I'm sorry to disappoint you.
Hopefully there'll be another Marvel film in my future."
Of course, it isn't like Chastain's decision hurt her career.
After she turned down the role, it went to Rebecca Hall.
Originally, Maya Hansen was supposed to be the ultimate villain of the film, but someone
up the chain of command ordered writer-director Shane Black to make the bad guy a dude…because
female action figures supposedly don't sell that well, leaving Hall in a much less important
role than anticipated.
Joaquin Phoenix
When Marvel Studios was preparing to introduce audiences to Doctor Stephen Strange, there
were a few names at the top of their list.
They were allegedly interested in the likes of Jared Leto and Ryan Gosling, but it seems
Joaquin Phoenix came even closer to landing the gig.
The Oscar-nominated star ultimately decided to pass on the Sorcerer Supreme because he
didn't feel he would do well in a studio full of green screens, and the role went to Benedict
Cumberbatch.
However, there was a brief bit of time where it seemed Cumberbatch wouldn't be able to
wear the Cloak of Levitation, as he was already signed up to play Hamlet in a London stage
production.
To accommodate Cumberbatch's schedule, the studio ended up pushing back Doctor Strange's
release date.
Emily Blunt
Marvel realized Emily Blunt's action star potential long before the rest of us.
As Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau prepared to shoot Iron Man 2, they offered the English
actress one of the biggest roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a.
Black Widow.
Unfortunately for Blunt, the timing just didn't work out.
She was busy with the Jack Black comedy Gulliver's Travels and had to pass on playing the Russian
super spy.
Which was a pretty huge mistake.
Marvel still really wanted Blunt to join the MCU, so when it came time to film Captain
America: The First Avenger, execs asked if she'd be interested in playing Steve Rogers's
capable love interest, Peggy Carter.
Once again, the timing was off, and the part went to Hayley Atwell.
In a 2012 interview with Vulture, Blunt admitted that she's still open to a superhero role,
as long as she gets to play a hero, saying,
"Usually, the female parts in a superhero film feel thankless: She's the pill girlfriend
while the guys are whizzing around saving the world."
Matthew McConaughey
If you've seen Guardians of the Galaxy, it's easy to see why people are incredibly psyched
for its sci-fi sequel, and it seems like any actor in Hollywood would gladly sign up for
a trip to Xandar.
For example, both Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell will appear alongside Chris Pratt,
but despite all the excitement, not every actor is willing to soar off into space with
Star-Lord.
In an interview with Playboy, Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey said he was offered a
role in Vol. 2 but turned it down to appear in adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower,
saying,
"I like Guardians of the Galaxy, but what I saw was, 'It's successful, and now we've
got room to make a colorful part for another big-name actor.'
I'd feel like an amendment."
McConaughey didn't say which part he was offered in Vol. 2, though most agree he would've played
a villain.
Still, the Guardians sequel should be plenty of fun even without McConaughey in the film…though
it'd be a lot cooler if he'd signed up.
"Action and there's the chick, alright alright alright"
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