While the MCU’s Infinity Saga told the story of the six original Avengers, the new saga beginning with Phase Four will focus on the next generation of Earth’s mightiest heroes, led by Doctor Strange trying to keep the ever-expanding multiverse under as much control as possible and Captain Marvel bringing peace to the farthest reaches of outer space. In the characters’ Phase Three introductions, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brie Larson quickly made icons out of Stephen Strange and Carol Danvers, respectively, but while they turned out to be the perfect choices for their roles, they weren’t Marvel’s only choices to play them.
Updated on August 12th, 2022 by Stuart Kilmartin: It's hard to imagine the absence of Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel in the MCU. Although both characters were only introduced in Phase 3 of the MCU, both have grown into integral members of the Avengers roster, particularly as Marvel moves further into the Multiverse Saga towards Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Both Doctor Strange, in his most recent outing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Captain Marvel, who cameoed in Ms. Marvel and is set to return in the upcoming The Marvels, are set to be major MCU characters for the next couple of years. While it's hard to image anyone other than Benedict Cumberbatch and Brie Larson portraying the iconic Marvel heroes, many other actors were considered for the roles before this duo were cast.
Doctor Strange
Joaquin Phoenix
Benedict Cumberbatch was always the producers’ first choice for the role of Stephen Strange, but he turned down their initial offer, so they had to cast a wider net in the search for the perfect Sorcerer Supreme. One of the actors approached about the role in this interim was Joaquin Phoenix.
Phoenix had previously been approached about playing the Hulk in The Avengers and he turned down the role of Strange for the same reason he turned Marvel down back then: he was reluctant to sign a multi-movie contract. He ended up starring in DC’s Joker as a distinctly standalone effort.
Jared Leto
One of the many actors that Marvel considered for the role of Stephen Strange was Jared Leto, who’s recently become a movie star with roles in Dallas Buyers Club and Blade Runner 2049 in addition to his musical work with Thirty Seconds to Mars. Leto ended up playing a bastardized hipster version of the Joker in Suicide Squad in the same summer that Doctor Strange was released (to more critical acclaim) and recently starred in the much-memed superhero disaster Morbius.
Jake Gyllenhaal
The producers of Doctor Strange considered Jake Gyllenhaal for the title role. He didn’t land the part, but he did go on to play the villainous Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Similarly, Tom Hardy was also under consideration to play Strange and he went on to portray a different Marvel character, Venom, in Sony’s 2018 spin-off and its sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe met with Marvel Studios to discuss the possibility of playing Stephen Strange. Radcliffe, of course, is no stranger to committing to many movies in the role of a wizard.
Ewan McGregor also met with the studio and he, too, is familiar with playing wizards in multiple movies, as Jedi are a kind of wizard and McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was under consideration to play Stephen Strange, having previously been on the shortlist to play Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy. A ton of actors were considered to play Strange before the producers’ first choice finally agreed to do it, including Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Ryan Gosling, Jon Hamm, Ethan Hawke, Jack Huston, Oscar Isaac, Matthew McConaughey, Ewan McGregor, Keanu Reeves, and Justin Theroux.
Captain Marvel
Natalie Dormer
Renowned for playing Margaery Tyrell in HBO’s Game of Thrones and Cressida in the final two installments in The Hunger Games movie franchise, Natalie Dormer was initially under consideration for the role of Carol Danvers. This might’ve created a continuity problem for the MCU, since Dormer previously played the minor role of Private Lorraine in Captain America: The First Avenger, but fans wouldn’t have minded too much if she was right for the part, especially considering the MCU already has a history of recasting characters with different actors.
Rebecca Ferguson
Not to be confused with the British singer of the same name, Rebecca Ferguson is a Swedish actor who’s become a prominent figure in Hollywood since taking on the recurring role of MI6 agent Ilsa Faust in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Ferguson was considered for the title role in Captain Marvel, but didn’t clinch it. She has gone on to star in another major blockbuster hit alongside Timothee Chalamet in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune and is set to return in the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Katee Sackhoff
The producers of Captain Marvel considered Katee Sackhoff for the role of Carol Danvers, but ended up giving it to Brie Larson instead. Sackhoff is well-versed in hard science fiction and dealing with an ardent fan base. She played Starbuck in the revival of Battlestar Galactica, Bo-Katan Kryze in several Star Wars-related TV series, including The Mandalorian, and Blacksmith in The CW’s The Flash.
Yvonne Strahovski
One of the actors considered to play Carol Danvers before Brie Larson was cast was Yvonne Strahovski, who still has yet to land a leading role in a blockbuster franchise that turns her into a household name. Due to her work in television, playing major roles in Dexter, Chuck, The Handmaid’s Tale (for which she’s been nominated for an Emmy), and 24: Live Another Day, Strahovski probably wouldn’t have had much difficulty fitting into the long-term commitments required by the MCU.
Emily Blunt
Prior to Brie Larson’s casting, Emily Blunt was considered for the role of Carol Danvers. She had previously been offered the roles of Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 and Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger but turned them down in both instances. More than a decade after she was offered her first Marvel role, Blunt still hasn’t joined the MCU, but she’s a popular fan casting for Susan Storm alongside her husband John Krasinski for Reed Richards.