Joining the MCU is something many actors dream about. With a role in the MCU, an actor can receive not only a steady paycheck but also global fame that can guarantee more acting jobs. As a result, hundreds of actors have competed for the opportunity to become a part of the MCU over the years.
Some of these actors got far in the audition process while others won their roles but had to drop out for a myriad of reasons. Even though they didn't get the parts they wanted, it's intriguing to imagine how different the MCU could have been with these actors embodying now iconic roles.
Alison Brie
Best known for her voice work in BoJack Horseman and playing the leading characters in the shows GLOW and Community, Alison Brie was interested in joining the MCU. Her interest was so great that Brie auditioned multiple times for roles in the MCU. "I’ve gone through auditions for Marvel movies and auditioned a million times for roles with three lines and you are begging for them. And I’d be glad to get them! It’s brutal, it just is," Brie said in an article on Comicbook.
In another interview posted on Comicbook, Brie specified her interest in playing Sharon Carter in the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War: "I wouldn't be opposed to it. I'm excited that they're going to do it. I think they're going to bring something different to it. I love the Russo brothers. I just adore them. I think they're incredible. Everything they do is incredible. It'll be a nice change for those Marvel superhero movies, to have a fresh take on it."
John Krasinski
John Krasinski rose to fame thanks to his portrayal of Jim Halpert on the sitcom The Office. Currently, he's also for portraying action roles in Jack Ryan as well as his directing in A Quiet Place. Krasinski was interested in playing Captain America before Chris Evans won the role in 2010. He even got far enough in the audition process to try on Captain America's suit, which, according to Krasinski, was a cool experience.
Krasinski wasn't sore about losing the role to Evans as he went on to say in an interview with Insider: "I love Chris, I've been a friend of his for a while. Those movies are so much fun and I love watching them, I tell him I'm first in line to see his new movies. It's that zen thing of let life take you where it may and I never would have been here if I had gotten 'Captain America.'"
Ryan Philippe
In addition to John Krasinski, Ryan Philippe also wanted to play the iconic Captain America. Philippe is no stranger to action roles, having starred in the TV show Shooter and the war movie Flags of Our Fathers (2006).
In 2010, Philippe acknowledged on SYFY WIRE that he would like to play Steve Rogers. "I'm really into it. It'd be fun. My son would love it. He's six years old," Philippe said.
Liam Hemsworth
Losing the role of Thor is bad enough, but losing it to a younger brother is worse. The Hunger Games actor auditioned for the role and got far in the audition process but the role ultimately went to Chris Hemsworth, Liam's older brother.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it looked like Liam Hemsworth would be the clear winner since he got several callbacks and his brother Chris Hemsworth only had a single audition. But apparently, Joss Whedon persuaded director Kenneth Branagh to give Chris Hemsworth another chance, and this time, he did great in the audition and won the part.
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt is one of the most successful actresses currently working with two high-profile movies currently in theaters (A Quiet Place Part II and Jungle Cruise). However, Blunt could have taken on another prominent role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Screen Rant, she auditioned for Black Widow and got an offer to play the part but had to leave because of a scheduling conflict with Gulliver's Travels in 2010.
Blunt said she wanted to work with Robert Downey Jr. but was already contracted to star in the Jack Black film. Since fans have speculated that she and her husband John Krasinski could play the Marvel superhero couple Sue Storm and Reed Richards, it's possible Blunt could still appear in the MCU in the future.
Timothée Chalamet
Thousands of fans love Tom Holland's portrayal of Spider-Man. However, Peter Parker could have been very different had the role went to the acclaimed young actor Timothée Chalamet. Chalamet was shortlisted for the role but Holland won it in the end.
Chalamet did great for himself, though, since he's acted in a myriad of challenging roles and is one of the most successful young actors currently working today. Plus, according to The Hollywood Reporter, auditioning for Spider-Man was very stressful for Chalamet. “I read twice and I left sweating in a total panic. I called my agent, Brian Swardstrom, and I said, 'Brian, I thought about this a lot and I have to go back and knock on that door and read again.'"
Asa Butterfield
Tom Holland wasn't the only talented young British actor who had his eyes set on Spider-Man. Asa Butterfield also wanted and auctioned for the role of Marvel's most famous web-slinger. Butterfield is best known to audiences with genre roles in films such as Ender's Game (2013) and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016).
When the role of Spider-Man was being cast, Butterfield was the preferred favorite for many of the fans. In 2020 with an interview with the Collider, Butterfield shared his feelings and thoughts on auditioning and not getting the part. He acknowledged he really wanted the part but also said something better came out of it in the end: his role in the hit Netflix show Sex Education.
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is most familiar to movie fans as Hughie Campbell's dad in the superhero show The Boys and Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the rebooted Star Trek movies. Pegg was originally considered for Ant-Man, a role he would have excelled in thanks to his rich comedy experience in films like Shaun of the Dead.
However, Paul Rudd was cast instead as Scott Lang. This loss didn't deter Pegg from wanting to be in the MCU in the future; according to Screen Rant, he said he would like to play the British superhero Captain Britain as Pegg himself hails from England.
Adam Sandler
Bradley Cooper is hilarious as Rocket in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but a well-known comedian could have taken on the role of Marvel's most famous raccoon.
According to Collider, Adam Sandler was interested in portraying the role and auditioned for it in the early 2010s. The Big Daddy star failed to impress director James Gunn, who gave the part to Cooper. Sandler was also considered for voicing the part of Groot but lost the role to Vin Diesel. With a third Guardians movie set to start filming later this year, maybe Sandler can finally join Marvel's renegade space squad.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead isn't the only actor on this list who was interested in appearing in the MCU but later scored a superhero role somewhere else. These days, Winstead is best known for playing the vengeful Huntress in the DC movie Birds of Prey (2020) alongside Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.
Like Alison Brie, Winstead auditioned for the role of Sharon Carter in Captain America: Civil War and lost the part to Emily VanCamp. With Birds of Prey unlikely to get a sequel, Winstead could still join the MCU's Phase 4 as another strong female character like the Huntress.