Not a month goes by without an announcement of major new additions to the cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After several decades of Marvel movies and shows, hundreds of acting talents have now appeared in the MCU. Sometimes, it seems as if the studio has consumed every actor in Hollywood, like some kind of moviemaking Galactus.
But even after all this time, and all those hours of content, there are still holdouts. Before Marvel became the unstoppable juggernaut it is today, a lot of actors turned down the chance to appear in their movies. (Don’t forget; before 1998, the biggest Marvel movie ever was … Howard the Duck.) Even now, after Marvel has exploded like Nitro in a fireworks factory, some movie stars remain uninterested in wearing a skintight costume and punching Mark Ruffalo in the face.
Most of Marvel’s actor negotiations remain shrouded in secrecy, but a few have come to light through the years. Below are ten of the most interesting (and potentially MCU altering) examples. Strewn across the multiverse are alternate realities where, for example, Joaquin Phoenix plays Doctor Strange. (Maybe that’s what Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness is about.) In chronological order, here are some notable actors who’ve turned down major Marvel roles.
Actors Who Turned Down Major Marvel Roles
Not everyone wants to be a part of the Marvel universe. These actors all got offered high-profile gigs in Marvel movies and turned them down.
