Top 20 Actors Who ALMOST Played Superheroes

Joel Edgerton played Owen Lars in the “Star Wars” prequel episodes II and III. But he was this close to adding another famous “star” to his resume, if he had only nailed the audition. The “star” in question is Star-Lord, the role now made famous by Chris Pratt in multiple “Guardians of the Galaxy” films and other MCU titles. As Edgerton put it, he failed the audition because he “didn’t quite sort of understand the tone of it.” A tone Pratt obviously nailed. It’s worthy to note that Glenn Howerton of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” fame also captured this tone perfectly. In fact, director James Gunn revealed that if Pratt had declined the role, Howerton was his second choice.

Even die-hard superhero fans might not know, or remember, that there was a “Supergirl” movie released in 1984. Following the third “Superman” film, this spinoff was a pretty big deal at the time. The movie attracted some big Hollywood names to try out for the lead role including Brooke Shields and Demi Moore. However, the producers wanted an unknown actress so they chose Helen Slater instead. They did cast Moore in the role of Lois Lane’s sister, Lucy, but she later dropped out of the film to make “Blame It on Rio” instead. It turned out to be a lose-lose situation for Moore, as both movies bombed and received a score of less than 10% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jason Momoa became a superhero with his starring role as Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe. But he could have entered the comic book movie scene a few years earlier had he thrown his hat in the ring for the role of Drax the Destroyer in “Guardians of the Galaxy”. However, for Mamoa, the timing just wasn’t right. As he told Zap2It back in 2014, “I've done so many things where I don't say much and I'm colored up and I have my shirt off again.” Basically he wanted to show off another side of himself. So, instead of playing Drax, he went off to co-write, direct and star in the 2014 film “Road to Paloma”.

There are a lot of rumors out there about Margot Robbie and the role of Sue Storm in “The Fantastic Four”. Going back to the 2015 reboot of the franchise, it has been reported that Robbie auditioned for the role but ultimately lost out to Kate Mara. Then, in 2019, Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox meant that The Fantastic Four were coming home to the MCU. And once again, rumors began circulating regarding Robbie being brought in as the Invisible Woman. However, that didn’t happen again, as Vanessa Kirby was cast in the role instead. Although, rather than losing the part, this time, some sources say that it was Robbie who declined the offer.

With the release of “Speed” in 1994, Sandra Bullock went from relatively unknown actress to Hollywood star. Before this movie, she probably wouldn’t have been considered for the role of Wonder Woman. However, after its release, Bullock shot right up to the top of the list, becoming a top contender for the Amazonian superhero. In fact, a 1999 article in Empire magazine reported that Bullock had been cast in the role for an upcoming Wonder Woman film. Unfortunately, the film never materialized, and we never got to see Bullock don the Bracelets of Submission or wield the Lasso of Truth.

While he has built some solid superhero cred by voicing Batman in a number of animated movies, Jensen Ackles has yet to portray a superhero on the big screen. It’s not for a lack of trying, though. Ackles initially auditioned for the role of Captain America, but he didn’t impress the studio as much as Chris Evans, so he was passed over. Nonetheless, they liked Ackles enough to offer him the chance of playing Hawkeye in the MCU. Unfortunately, or fortunately for “Supernatural” fans, Ackles had to decline the offer due to his commitment to the CW series.

In 1999, Rachael Leigh Cook became a teen romcom icon, starring in “She’s All That,” a film that defined the genre for a generation of moviegoers. After taking off her glasses, Cook received numerous film offers, including the opportunity to play Rogue in the X-Men movie. However, she turned it down, telling the New York Times in 2021 that she wanted to “avoid acting on a green screen.” It’s a decision Cook quickly regretted, admitting that “As soon as I saw the posters for it, I knew that I'd made a mistake.” In a fun twist though, you may remember that the role ended up going to Anna Paquin, who actually took off Cook’s glasses in “She’s All That”.

Oh, Mamma Mia! Amanda Seyfried could’ve been Gamora. Yup, while Zoe Saldana has been great in the role, Marvel first offered the part to Ms. Seyfried, who turned it down. It was hers if she wanted it, but she didn’t. Why, you ask? Well, according to multiple reports, it came down to two things. First, Seyfried wasn’t psyched about spending all those hours in the makeup chair to turn green. Also, she had strong doubts that the film would be successful and didn’t want to star in the first box-office bomb in the MCU. Seyfried admitted that she wondered who would want to see a movie “about a talking tree and a raccoon?” Well, millions apparently.

We all know that Jake Gyllenhaal played super villain Mysterio in 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home”. But had things gone a little differently, Gyllenhaal could have been Spider-Man himself many years prior. Following the massive success of the first “Spider-Man” movie back in 2002, complications arose regarding actor Tobey Maguire’s return for the sequel. Maguire demanded a higher salary, which the studio initially refused. With the actor’s participation up in the air, the studio went looking for a replacement - and Gyllenhaal’s name was on that list. But that’s as far as it got, as the issues with Maguire were eventually resolved and he continued in the role.

Forget Blade, there’s an alternate reality where Wesley Snipes played a different Marvel character in the ‘90s. After hits like “Jungle Fever” and “White Men Can't Jump,” Snipes was on a definite hot streak, so he was the perfect person to bring the Black Panther character to life. So, why didn’t it happen? Well, there are many reasons. While they did get three scripts written, this wasn’t ever going to be an easy project to get over the finish line. The technology wasn’t advanced enough, and even the name “Black Panther” was more associated with the national revolutionary group than the comic book character. To quote Snipes, “Long story long, we didn't end up making it”.

Benedict Cumberbatch was director Scott Derrickson’s first choice for Doctor Strange, and luckily, it all worked out for that to happen. However, there was initially a scheduling conflict that took Cumberbatch out of the running, so Derrickson had to consider other actors. And the one he looked at the hardest was Joaquin Phoenix. Derrickson liked Phoenix and both men had some productive discussions about the character but, as he told Slashfilm, it soon “became clear to both of us that this might not be a good fit.” Determined to get Cumberbatch in the Doctor Strange suit, Derrickson went to the studio and asked them to move the shooting dates to fit Cumberbatch’s schedule. And they did.

Let us tell you about how Chris Hemsworth’s impressive physique ruined John Krasinski’s chances to be Captain America. Apparently, Krasinski had made it to the stage of testing costumes for the role. However, as he tried out the tight outfit, Hemsworth walked by and casually remarked, “Ya look good, mate.” After seeing Hemsworth’s ripped body, Krasinski instantly knew he was outmatched and decided to bow out. While that is a funny anecdote Krasinski has shared time and again, the actor actually admits that he just wasn’t a perfect fit for the character, which ultimately went to Chris Evans. That’s too bad, though, because who wouldn’t have loved to see Captain America put Iron Man’s stapler in Jell-O?

Not every choice in life is binary, but for Emily Blunt, choosing between “Gulliver's Travels” and playing Black Widow in “Iron Man 2” seems to have been exactly that. Although, using the word “choice” in this case may be a bit of a misnomer really. Because, you see, it wasn’t her choice at all. If it had been, Blunt would’ve been Black Widow, as she was first offered the role by Marvel. However, Blunt also had a contract with 20th Century Fox which pretty much obligated her to make “Gulliver's Travels” instead. As a result, she was forced to turn down the Black Widow role, which she admitted to Howard Stern was, “a bit of a heartbreaker.”

There are so many layers to this one. Let’s start off with the fact that the eventual Thor, Chris Hemsworth had such an unimpressive first reading that he was almost ixnayed on the spot. His brother Liam Hemsworth also auditioned, but was apparently too young for the part. Then there was Tom Hiddleston who did well enough in his first reading that he was given six weeks to bulk up. However, director Kenneth Branagh ultimately decided that he was better suited for Loki, a winning decision for Marvel fans everywhere. As for Chris Hemsworth, his agent pushed hard for him to get a second chance. And once he grabbed that second chance hammer, no one else was worthy of the role.

Annette Bening made 12 films in the 1990s, yet, she didn’t appear in any in the years 1992 and 1993. Was it that she just wasn’t offered any roles? Nope. In fact, she had already secured the part of Catwoman in “Batman Returns,” the 1992 sequel to Tim Burton’s “Batman.” And she really wanted to do it too. The issue was that she also got pregnant around that time, and a pregnancy just doesn’t go well with a tight-fitting catsuit. As she revealed on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, “I had to call Tim Burton and say, ‘I’m having a baby.’” The role ultimately went to Michelle Pfeiffer, who won universal acclaim for her portrayal.

Cillian Murphy has worked with director Christopher Nolan multiple times over the last two decades, starting with 2005’s “Batman Begins”. Murphy played Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in the movie, but he actually first auditioned for the titular role. He might not seem like the most obvious choice to play the Caped Crusader, which he has also acknowledged in interviews. As he told Marc Maron on the “WTF” podcast, “[Nolan] wanted me to screen test for Batman, which I think I knew — and he knew — I was wrong for.” Murphy went ahead with the audition anyway, and we’re all glad he did, because it led to him being cast as Scarecrow - a role he was definitely right for.

There are few actors as synonymous with a superhero role as Hugh Jackman is with Wolverine. That said, the only reason he got the role was because shooting on “Mission: Impossible 2” went over schedule. You see, Dougray Scott was cast as Wolverine and signed on for a multi-film deal, but Scott was also playing rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose in MI2. So, when that film went long, and Scott got injured while filming a motorcycle chase scene, it became an impossible mission to go and make X-Men. Thus, he had to back out, paving the way for Jackman to take over.

There are so many awesome things about this one. First is the fact that James Cameron wanted to make a Spider-Man movie in the ‘90s. Second is that reports had him casting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of Otto Octavius. And third is that he was eyeing Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Parker. So, how close did this actually come to being a reality? Well, according to DiCaprio, “not very close”. But he did reveal that there was a screenplay written and he had multiple conversations with Cameron about it. So, that’s close enough for us.

Tom Cruise has been one of the biggest stars in Hollywood for over three decades. And that fame is precisely why he wasn’t cast as Iron Man. Normally being a big star gets you big roles, but it also comes with a hefty salary. While we now know that 2008’s “Ironman” kicked off one of the most successful film franchises ever, back then, there simply was no guarantee that would be the case. As revealed in the book, “MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios”, “Cruise’s asking fee at the time was more than even a profitable studio like Fox was willing to risk on an untested superhero property.” As such, they found a safer choice in Robert Downey Jr.

Yes, we know that Nicolas Cage had a brief cameo as Superman in 2023’s “The Flash”. But here we’re talking about Cage potentially playing the Man of Steel in a ‘90s movie called “Superman Lives”. And listen to these names. Not only was Cage gonna play Superman, but the film was going to be directed by Tim Burton and written by Kevin Smith. Now, come on… how awesome does that sound? Unfortunately, producer Jon Peters had some weird story alterations, like Superman not being able to fly and a requisite battle with a giant spider. These strange demands, alongside budget concerns, ultimately led to the death of “Superman Lives”.