Celebrities Who Were Almost Cast in Marvel Movies

Marvel casting feels obvious now.

Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. Chris Evans is Captain America. Scarlett Johansson is Black Widow. Chris Hemsworth is Thor. Benedict Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange. Zoe Saldaña is Gamora. Tom Hiddleston is Loki.

But none of those choices were guaranteed.

Before Marvel became one of the biggest franchises in film history, plenty of major stars auditioned, negotiated, passed, missed out, or came close to roles that later became iconic. Some almost joined the MCU. Others nearly appeared in Marvel films made outside the MCU, including X-Men, Spider-Man, and Fantastic Four projects.

Here are celebrities who were almost cast in Marvel movies.

Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt is one of the most famous Marvel “almost cast” stories.

She was originally lined up for Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, before Scarlett Johansson took the role in Iron Man 2. Blunt later explained that she had to step away because of scheduling and contractual issues connected to Gulliver’s Travels, not because she rejected the character.

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix came very close to playing Doctor Strange.

Before Benedict Cumberbatch took the role, Phoenix was in serious talks with Marvel. The deal did not come together, reportedly because the long-term franchise commitment was not the right fit for him.

Tom Hiddleston

Tom Hiddleston never originally auditioned for Loki.

He auditioned for Thor.

That feels strange now because Chris Hemsworth seems built for the role, while Hiddleston’s Loki became one of the MCU’s most beloved characters. Hiddleston has explained that he went in for Thor, but Marvel saw something else in him and offered him Loki instead.

John Krasinski

Before Chris Evans became Steve Rogers, John Krasinski auditioned for Captain America.

Krasinski has told the story with humor. He even tried on the suit, but seeing Chris Hemsworth walk by as Thor made him realize he might not be the right physical fit for the role. He later took the news well when Evans got the part, joking that of course Marvel chose him.

Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried passed on Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy.

She later admitted that the concept sounded risky at the time. A movie with a talking raccoon, a talking tree, and a relatively obscure cosmic team did not look like a guaranteed hit before release. Seyfried also worried the movie might hurt her career if it failed.

Glenn Howerton

Chris Pratt made Star-Lord his signature role, but Glenn Howerton came very close.

James Gunn has said Howerton was his second choice for Peter Quill if Pratt had not taken the role. Howerton also discussed auditioning for the part, which has since become one of the most interesting alternate versions of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams was reportedly Marvel’s top choice for Pepper Potts in Iron Man.

She passed during a period when she was stepping away from Hollywood pressure and focusing more on her personal life. Gwyneth Paltrow eventually played Pepper, becoming Tony Stark’s assistant, partner, and later wife across multiple MCU films.

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig was reportedly approached for Thor before Chris Hemsworth got the role.

Craig was already playing James Bond at the time, and he reportedly turned down the idea because carrying Bond and Thor at once would have been too much.

Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa was close to playing Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy.

He reportedly backed away because he did not want to keep playing roles built mainly around his size and physical presence. The role eventually went to Dave Bautista, who turned Drax into a scene-stealing mix of literal-minded humor, grief, loyalty, and surprising innocence.

Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain came close to joining Iron Man 3.

She was in talks for the role of Maya Hansen, but scheduling issues prevented the casting from happening. Rebecca Hall eventually played the character.

Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan was linked to Scarlet Witch before Elizabeth Olsen became Wanda Maximoff.

Ronan was reportedly a strong inspiration or early idea for the role, but the part ultimately went to Olsen, who turned Wanda into one of the MCU’s most emotionally layered characters.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was reportedly considered for major MCU roles, including Star-Lord and Ant-Man.

His name appeared in casting conversations during the period when Marvel was searching for actors who could bring comedy, charm, and emotional intelligence to less obvious superhero characters.

Liam Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth was not the only Hemsworth considered for Thor.

His younger brother Liam Hemsworth was also in the mix during casting. Chris has spoken in the past about the strange process, including the fact that Liam got far enough in the audition process that it pushed Chris to come back stronger.

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson was offered Odin in Thor but passed.

The role of Thor’s father eventually went to Anthony Hopkins, whose presence gave the early Thor films a theatrical, royal weight.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise has been tied to Iron Man rumors for decades.

Before Robert Downey Jr. became Tony Stark, Cruise was one of the major names associated with earlier attempts to develop an Iron Man film. Cruise later clarified that he was not especially close to playing the role in the MCU version and praised Downey as the perfect choice.

Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde has often been mentioned in connection with Gamora before Zoe Saldaña was cast.

This is a softer casting story than Amanda Seyfried’s because there is less direct public explanation from Wilde herself. Still, her name has circulated in Marvel casting coverage as someone connected to the role during the search.

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel was reportedly considered for The Wasp in an earlier version of The Avengers.

Before the final 2012 film took shape, earlier story ideas included Janet van Dyne more prominently. Deschanel’s name has appeared in reporting about Marvel roles that nearly happened, especially around that alternate Wasp plan.

Sam Rockwell

Sam Rockwell was considered for Tony Stark before Robert Downey Jr. was cast.

Marvel did not choose him for Iron Man, but Rockwell eventually joined the franchise anyway as Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2. That turned out to be a clever use of his talents. Hammer was basically a less successful, more desperate, more insecure mirror version of Tony Stark.

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman has been mentioned in older Iron Man casting conversations before the MCU locked in Robert Downey Jr.

Jackman was already Wolverine, so the idea of him becoming Tony Stark would have created a major Marvel crossover problem long before Disney controlled both the MCU and Fox’s X-Men rights.

Timothy Olyphant

Timothy Olyphant also tested for Tony Stark.

He later joked about auditioning for Iron Man and losing the role to Robert Downey Jr. In another timeline, Olyphant could have brought a cooler, drier, more Western-style confidence to Tony.

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