We’ve all heard the crazy story about how Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard as War Machine in Iron Man 2 due to a pay dispute.
Or the one where Marvel head Kevin Feige said “I do” to Mark Ruffalo and dumped Edward Norton because he was allegedly, a kind of a d*** on the set of The Incredible Hulk.
I mean, could you imagine how different the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Avengers: Infinity War would be if these guys had stayed?
How about a Tony Stark without Robert Downey Jr.? A Captain America minus Chris Evans? A Doctor Strange sans Benedict Cumberbatch? Yikes, what a nightmare!
Luckily for us, that alternate dimension is sealed off from this world. But… with a little magic from the Reality Stone, we reveal some of the stars who were inches away from playing your favourite superheroes:
Before Robert Downey Jr. became a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Tom Cruise was ready to suit up as Iron Man. After a few years of unsuccessful development, Marvel reclaimed the rights to the character and hired director Jon Favreau to make Iron Man.
Favreau had initially planned to cast a newcomer, but eventually decided against it when he met Robert, saying that “there was nobody else on my mind.”
You may have recognised him as the dad from this year’s sleeper horror A Quiet Place, but did you know John Krasinki was really close from landing the role of star-spangled super soldier?
He impressed Marvel so much and earned himself a costumed screen test, but walked away from the part after becoming intimidated by Chris Hemsworth’s physique. “I’m good, this is stupid. That’s okay, I’m not Captain America,” he said.
Speaking of the Norse God of Thunder, Chris Hemsworth was actually refused early on after fluffing his first audition. Enter the Norse God of Mischief himself, Tom Hiddleston.
Before nabbing the role of Loki, he was convinced by Thor director Kenneth Branagh to audition for Thor because he was “tall and blonde and classically trained.” Hemsworth eventually won a call back and was deemed mighty enough the second time around.
Before Mark Ruffalo signed on to replace Edward Norton in The Avengers, Marvel had offered the part of Bruce Banner/Hulk to Joaquin Phoenix, who was then a semi-retired Oscar-nominated actor and aspiring rapper. No, seriously.
But that’s not the only reason why he rejected the part. While fielding questions, he admitted that he was a “bit of a snob” about blockbuster type of movies, adding that it had to be the right project. “I’m just trying to find what works for me. I don’t want to commit to something and not fulfil those obligations,” he said.
Little did he realise that project could’ve and would’ve been Doctor Strange a few years later, if not for a deal that fell through at the last minute. Marvel was ready to announce Phoenix as the Sorcerer Supreme, but weren’t able to finalise a contract.
After negotiations broke down, the studio assembled a shortlist which included Matthew McConaughey. However, he rejected the bids of Marvel and chose to do The Dark Tower instead because of the creative freedom he was afforded.
Tom Holland reportedly went all out in pursuit of the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, even to the extent of showing off his sick gymnastic skills. That effort eventually repaid dividends in the form of web shooters and a red spandex suit.
But he wasn’t the only one who dazzled Marvel with an array of wall-crawling capers. 2017 breakout star Timothee Chalamet, who was considered among the leading frontrunners, also read twice for the part.
Chadwick Boseman is the rightful king of Wakanda, but things could’ve been really different if Wesley Snipes had held the throne. The Blade star was once attached to play the Black Panther for more than a decade!
In 1992, Snipes announced his intention to make a Black Panther movie, but the development was beset with a bunch of script issues over the years. Snipes eventually found himself at the wrong side of the law just when Marvel had settled on a screenplay. Bad luck, I guess.
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn admitted that he “didn’t even want to see Chris [Pratt] at first” because he was overweight and seemed like too much of a comedy guy. On the other hand, one actor who did make it into Gunn’s line of sight was The Dark Knight Rises’ Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
However, 20 seconds into his audition, Gunn instantly knew that Chris was his man, his only man. He said: “It’s like that magical moment, it’s like when you find the woman you fall in love with and you’re like ‘That’s the one.’ That’s what it was finding Chris as Peter Quill.”
When director Joss Whedon was developing Avengers: Age of Ultron, it was rumoured that Lady Bird actress Saoirse Ronan was being used as the ‘prototype’ for his version of Scarlet Witch.
It would’ve been a perfect marriage – she even said at the time that she would “love to be in it. Strangely, she passed on the role of Wanda Maximoff, and Marvel then moved their attentions on to their second choice, Elizabeth Olsen.
Before Scarlett Johansson was given the odd task of taming the Hulk, Mrs John Krasinki aka Emily Blunt was Marvel’s top choice to play Black Widow, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.
Believe it or not, she had a contractual obligation with 20th Century Fox to make the Jack Black flop, Gulliver’s Travels. Ironically, Johansson actually screen-tested for the role but lost out to Blunt.
Avengers: Infinity War opens in cinemas on 25 April 2018. Ticket available for sale now!