Jessica Chastain almost made her way into Doctor Strange, but she ultimately turned down the part with the hopes of getting a more heroic Marvel Cinematic Universe role down the road. Since making her film debut in 2008, Chastain has become one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood, earning two Academy Award nominations for her work. Her exposure to the superhero genre has been limited to this point, though, and she wants to make sure her entry gets the due it deserves.
Chastain has made one appearance in a superhero film, playing Vuk in 2019's Dark Phoenix, a villainous character who manipulates the titular Phoenix to do evil bidding. That role fell in the X-Men Universe, which operates outside of the MCU (for now) despite being a Marvel property. Apparently, she set her sights on making a much more significant impact in the MCU, should that opportunity be afforded to her.
Doctor Strange screenwriter C. Robert Cargill told Junkfood Cinema the role of Christine Palmer was initially offered to Chastain. "This is the interesting thing that Hollywood’s starting to find out, is that a lot of the actresses out there want to be superheroes as much as the actors do," said Cargill. "I know this happened with Scott [Derrickson]. He went to Jessica Chastain to get her on Doctor Strange because we were considering her." The actress, however, decided to turn down the role, citing her skillset and her desire to "wear a cape," a rejection Cargill accepted. "She’s like, ‘Hey, look, this project sounds awesome, and I would love to do it. But I’m only going to get one shot at being in a Marvel film and becoming a Marvel character, and I trained in ballet, and I really want to wear a cape.’ And that was the coolest rejection ever," the screenwriter added. The role instead went to Rachel McAdams, her own introduction into the MCU.
In terms of the quality of the role, Chastain may have made the right decision to turn down playing Christine Palmer. In the comics, Palmer doubles as a more mystical character (not a superhero, really) as the Night Nurse, a role that isn't fully explored in Doctor Strange. While the upcoming sequel could have potentially spent more time with Palmer, it doesn't seem like that's currently in the offing. McAdams isn't set to reprise her role in the sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, set to be released in the spring of 2021.
While there are several female superheroes in the MCU, only one has had a movie where that character is the main focus: Captain Marvel. The release of Black Widow will add to that lore, but it has been delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, with no new release date being set for the time being. While most of the known MCU films in development are either sequels of existing properties or have already been cast, countless female superheroes in the Marvel universe could be utilized as the star of a feature film. That's the level of commitment that would be necessary to reel Jessica Chastain into the MCU, not a secondary role in Doctor Strange.
Source: Junkfood Cinema
