10 Famous Actors Who Refused Important Marvel Roles
It seems like every major actor in Hollywood has been sucked into the ever-expanding Marvel
Cinematic Universe these days.
Between sequels and reboots, Marvel has a huge cast of heroes, villains, and every character
in between.
Some heroes, like Spider-Man and the Hulk, are now on their third actor.
But you might be surprised to hear that not every movie star is excited to hang out with
Captain America and company.
Whether it’s scheduling or personal taste, some stars have turned down the chance to
save the world on the big screen.
Here are 10 Famous Actors Who Refused Important Marvel Roles.
Tom Cruise It’s safe to say that Tom Cruise is one
of the biggest stars out there, even without the Marvel credit.
Maybe that’s why Cruise turned down a chance to play Iron Man himself in the movie that
started the current franchise of Marvel superhero films.
Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine millionaire playboy Tony Stark being played by anyone
other than Robert Downey Jr.
So it’s lucky for us that Tom Cruise took one look at the script for Iron Man and turned
the job down.
Allegedly, he also demanded that the Iron Man visor be redesigned so that his face would
be visible at all times.
So all things considered…
things worked out for the best.
Leonardo Dicaprio We’ve seen three Spider-Men so far in the
Marvel Universe, and there’s no end in sight.
So plenty of actors have been considered for everyone’s favorite webslinger.
But only one actor has turned down the role of Spider-Man, Batman’s Robin, and Anakin
Skywalker, and that actor is Leonardo Dicaprio.
Dicaprio was considered for a Spider-Man film directed by James Cameron, which never actually
made it to theaters.
But Dicaprio turned the role down anyway, because he didn’t feel “ready” to take
the superhero plunge.
Now that Leo has his Oscar, we can only assume he’ll be pickier than ever.
Emily Blunt Emily Blunt has turned down not one but two
major Marvel roles in the past.
She turned down the role of Black Widow in Iron Man 2, as well as the role of Peggy Carter
in the first Captain America film.
Blunt claims that she had to pass on both parts because it just “wasn’t the right
time.”
Actually, she was contractually obligated to appear in another film for Fox, so she
ended up having to pass on Black Widow in order to star in the universally panned adaptation
of Gulliver’s Travels with Jack Black.
This was good news for Scarlett Johansson, who was cast as Black Widow after having previously
lost the role to Emily Blunt.
Josh Hartnett Josh Hartnett might give Leo Dicaprio a run
for his money when it comes to dodging franchises.
He’s turned down Marvel’s Spider-Man, DC’s Batman and DC’s Superman.
His reasoning?
The roles were simply too big.
Hartnett was a major heartthrob in his early twenties, and he didn’t want his career
to be defined by one superhero role.
Or even three superhero roles.
He was worried that slinging webs might pigeonhole him as an actor, and he ended up taking some
time away from Hollywood rather than take on any major superheroes.
Matthew McConaughey Guardians of the Galaxy 2 may be one of the
most anticipated Marvel sequels on the horizon, but not everyone is onboard.
Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey turned down a major role as Star Lord’s father,
and the villain of the upcoming film.
McConaughey didn’t give a reason for passing on the role, but he doesn’t seem interested
in entering the Marvel Universe anytime soon.
Or maybe he’s holding out for a chance to play the hero.
We’ll just have to wait and see who how Kurt Russel does as Star Lord’s dad…and
a planet.
Rachel McAdams Rachel McAdams is finally entering the Marvel
Cinematic Universe as Christine Palmer in Doctor Strange.
But she had a chance to be a Marvel mainstay much earlier, when she turned down the role
of Pepper Potts in the first Iron Man movie.
As Tony Stark’s secretary and chief love interest, Pepper Potts has been a major character
in the Iron Man franchise.
McAdams turned down the role for unknown reasons, leaving Gwyneth Paltrow to step in instead.
But Rachel McAdams still got a chance to star opposite Robert Downey Jr in the Sherlock
Holmes movies… and it seems like once was enough for her.
Jason Momoa Game of Thrones fans won’t be surprised
to hear that Jason Momoa, the actor behind Khal Drogo, was up for the part of Drax the
Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy.
It seems like a perfect fit, which is exactly the reason that Momoa backed out: he doesn’t
want to be stuck playing the quiet, muscle-bound brute forever.
When asked why he turned down the part, Momoa said he wants his children to “see their
father happy,” and it’s hard to argue with that.
And while Momoa has no plans in the Marvel Universe, he has been cast as Aquaman in upcoming
DC films.
So comic book fans will still get to see Jason Momoa saving the day (and hopefully being
just a little happy about it).
Nicolas Cage Nicolas Cage is pretty well known for an attempted
Superman movie back in the ‘90s, as well as two Ghost Rider films that opened to mixed
reviews.
But even though Cage has always been a huge comic book fan, he passed on a chance to play
the Green Goblin in Spider-Man back in 2002.
It seems that Cage is only interested in superhero movies if he can play the hero, so he turned
down the chance to play Spider-Man’s archenemy.
Cage is in good company, though: John Malkovich and John Travolta also turned down the part,
and William Dafoe finally ended up as the maniacal Norman Osborne.
Joaquin Phoenix Actor Joaquin Phoenix has a bit of a reputation
for being strange, but that didn’t stop him from turning down the role of Doctor Strange
in the upcoming film.
Between Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton, the film will have plenty of star power.
But Phoenix has stated that Marvel movies and similar blockbusters just aren’t his
style.
He was in talks to replace Edward Norton as the Hulk in The Avengers as well, but he says
that he prefers films that focus on characters, rather than action.
So it doesn’t seem like we should expect to see him hanging out with the Ancient One
anytime soon.
Daniel Craig If any one man can play the greatest spy on
Earth and a god of thunder, it’s probably Daniel Craig.
But Craig actually refused the role of Thor when Marvel offered, joking that it would
be too much of a power trip to play James Bond and an Avenger at the same time.
Between Bond sequels and the ever-expanding Marvel universe, Craig would have his schedule
booked solid for a long time, too.
So you can’t blame him for letting a less well-known star like Chris Hemsworth take
a shot at lifting Thor’s hammer.
Plus, it’s a little hard to imagine Daniel Craig with Thor’s signature flowing locks.
So there you have it: famous actors who said “no thanks” to the Marvel universe.
Should they have said yes?
Let us know what you think in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Description It seems like every major actor in Hollywood
has been sucked into the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe these days.
Between sequels and reboots, Marvel has a huge cast of heroes, villains, and every character
in between.
Some heroes, like Spider-Man and Hulk, are now on their third actor.
But you might be surprised to hear that not every movie star is excited to hang out with
Captain America and company.
Whether it’s scheduling or personal taste, some stars have turned down the chance to
save the world on the big screen.
Here are 10 Famous Actors Who Refused Important Marvel Roles.