Marvel films have invaded the box office in recent years with superhero films being one of the main attractions for moviegoers these days. However, there was once a time when some of these films weren't necessarily a sure bet.

Related: 10 Marvel Games That Were Canceled & Why They Were Never Made

In an era where some of the most obscure characters get adapted, anything is possible. There have also been some MCU projects that were announced but never saw the light of day. A lot of the projects that got canned over the years may have been for the best but a select few of them could have been quite promising.

Dazzler

X-Men Superhero Dazzler

Although she is one of the most popular mutants from Marvel Comics, Dazzler has one of the weirdest origins. Created as a joint venture between Casablanca Records (a label within Universal Music) and Marvel, Dazzler was meant to be a multi-media project as the first "singing superhero" with the plan to create comics, music, and films featuring her.

Casablanca later pulled out but a film adaptation was underway with Filmworks and a decision was made to use Bo Derek's likeness for the character in the comics. Per The Wrap, investors became uninterested in the project after Derek's husband John Derek, who has a history of being difficult to work with, signed on as director. It would not be until 2019 that Dazzler would have her first live-action appearance in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, with Halston Sage portraying her.

Kick-Ass 3

Characters from Kick Ass

Despite not taking place in the MCU, Kick-Ass still remains a Marvel property and one of the best vigilante films. After a disappointing box office return from Kick-Ass 2, talks of a sequel were put on hold. Pirating was also a major factor for the second film underperforming, after the film leaked online. Plans for a third film resumed in 2015 with Matthew Vaughn expected to return as writer and director. He announced a Hit-Girl and Big Daddy origin film along with Kick-Ass 3.

Vaughn again reiterated these plans in 2018 but nothing came of it. Recently appearing on Jimmy Fallon in December, Hit-Girl actress Chloë Grace Moretz expressed her desire to return for another film. Series creator Mark Millar also said in November, per BleedingCool, "I talk to Matthew Vaughn three times a week. [...]maybe at some point in the future, we do have one last story to tell, which is the big finale storyline."

Gambit

Gambit throwing a card in Marvel Comics

Viewed as a passion project for Channing Tatum, Gambit was meant to be a reboot for the character in the already very confusing timeline of the Fox X-Men series. Taylor Kitsch initially played the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine with plans to return but that never came to be. The original release date for the film was November 27, 2016 and Tatum was expected to appear in X-Men: Apocalypse, according to ComicBook. However, his scenes were cut.

The release of the film was delayed as director Rupert Wyatt dropped out. Doug Liman then signed on but quickly departed as well. Finally, Gore Verbinski was hired and the film was given a new 2019 release date with two additional leads, Léa Seydoux and Lil Rel Howery. Verbinski then left and a new 2020 release date was announced. Following the 2019 Fox-Disney merger, the film was shelved entirely. It's never too late to have this version crossover into the MCU, especially with how big of a name Tatum is.

Fant4stic Sequel

Easily one of the worst superhero films of all time, it is definitely for the best the Fant4stic sequel didn't happen. It's a huge shame such a talented cast got caught up in such a huge blunder. At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con, 20th Century Fox announced their grand plan to crossover the X-Men and the rebooted Fantastic Four with a massive cast photo.

Related: 10 Things We Could've Seen In Marvel's Cancelled Fant4stic Sequel

Plot elements regarding the film remain unknown but it was supposed to be released June 9, 2017. Cameo appearances from this Fantastic 4 were at one point going to appear during early development of Deadpool 2, per ScreenRant. They would have appeared as rejected members for the X-Force auditions. Luckily, the Fantastic Four will soon be rebooted in the MCU with Jon Watts directing.

Multiple Man

James Franco Multiple Man

In 2017, Deadline reported Wonder Woman scribe Allan Heinberg and longtime X-Men writer and producer Simon Kinberg had signed on for a film based on mutant Jamie Madrox/Multiple Man. James Franco had signed on to play the lead role but not much else was revealed.

Another update was given in 2018 by Kinberg saying "Multiple Man, that script's being worked on right now," but the film was canceled following Disney's purchase of 21st Century Fox. It's unknown what the film would have been about but an X-Men film starring James Franco and written by the same person behind Wonder Woman seemed like an exciting prospect.

Silver & Black

Black Cat Silver Sable Marvel

Originally planned as the second film of Sony's Spider-Man Universe following Venom, the film went through many different scripts. Set to follow Spider-Man characters Black Cat and Silver Sable, Gina Prince-Blythewood came onboard as the film's director. Filming was to occur in Mexico and Atlanta, Georgia but after being unimpressed with the script, Sony demanded a new draft. With what looked to be not much momentum on the project, Prince-Blythewood dropped out, in favor of doing The Old Guard for Netflix.

The film was then indefinitely delayed with the plan to make two separate films based on Black Cat and Silver Sable. It was then repurposed as a television series with Prince-Blythewood as producer and potential plans to air it on Disney+, according to THR.

Iron Fist

Iron Fist featuring Ray Park

According to Variety, an Iron Fist film nearly happened. Announced in 2001, Darth Maul and Snake Eyes actor Ray Park had been cast in the lead role, a role that surely would have catapulted him to stardom. John Thurman was to be writing the film. The film would have been made at Artisan who owned the film rights to Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Nighthawk, and Vision at the time.

Several delays plagued the film and two directors were at one point involved: Hong Kong director Kirk Wong and later Paul Blart director Steve Carr. After several delays, the rights to the character reverted back to Marvel and the Netflix series was instead produced. Had Ray Park stayed in the role, he would have played two different Marvel roles, having portrayed Toad in X-Men.

Quentin Tarantino's Silver Surfer

Tarantino nearly directed a Silver Surfer film in the 90s

Following massive success with his debut film Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino pitched a Silver Surfer script to ConstantinFilm who owned the rights to Fantastic Four and all its characters at the time. According to CBRTarantino pitched the film but was rejected by the studio.

This isn't Tarantino's only foray into the Marvel world. In an interview with MTV, the filmmaker revealed "After 'Reservoir Dogs,' I had considered doing a 'Luke Cage, Hero for Hire' movie. [Producer] Ed Pressman owned the rights at that time, and we talked about it. I talked to [Laurence Fishburne] about being Luke Cage, and he really liked that idea. Then I ended up writing 'Pulp Fiction." It's quite crazy to think a studio would say no to Tarantino but it just goes to show how much of an illustrious career he's had since then.

James Cameron's Spider-Man

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed and Spider-Man in Marvel comics

Before development on Sam Raimi's Spider-Man began at Sony, James Cameron had begun working on a Spider-Man film with Carolco Pictures. The film was to feature Green Goblin, Sandman, Electro and Doctor Octopus with Cameron eyeing Michael Biehn as Sandman, Lance Henriksen as Electro and finally, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doc Ock!

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The film played out a lot like 2002's Spider-Man but with additional villains. Much of the script written by Cameron was kept by David Koepp and Raimi. The film also would have starred either Edward Furlong or Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role of Peter Parker.

20th Century Fox Civil War Film

X-Men vs Fantastic Four crossover movie also featuring Deadpool and Daredevil.

Thor and X-Men: First Class co-writers Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller were hired to write a Marvel crossover film featuring characters Fox had the rights to which included the X-Men, Fantastic 4, Daredevil and Deadpool. Bourne director Paul Greengrass was also courted to direct the film.

The film's plot would have followed superheroes coming into conflict after the mandatory signing of the Superhuman Registration Act, a clear attempt at adapting the Civil War comic, as reported by ComicBook. The film would have pitted Wolverine against Mr. Fantastic in a climactic fight where Mr. Fantastic would have cut off one of Wolverine's hands by making his arm a sharp blade. This film definitely could have been a cool crossover experience but sadly, fans will never see it.

Next: 10 Canceled Superhero Movies That Aren’t Marvel Or DC We Really Wanted To See