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Summary
Several actor in theMarvel Cinematic Universewere almost cast in very different roles in late Marvel projects that went unproduced or were delete . Marvel Comics ( to begin with Timely Comics ) begin produce report in 1939 with the debuts of the Human Torch android , Namor and Captain America , and soon after , these began to be developed into live - legal action labor . This started in 1944 with the liberation of Republic Pictures’Captain Americaserials , while Marvel ’s first live - activeness feature article , Howard the Duck , release in 1986 . Since then , Marvel ’s alive - action medium has grown exponentially , but many potentialMarvel projects have been scrub or left unproduced .
Marvel ’s wide array of unproduced projects graze from those featuring the Fantastic Four , Spider - Man and Doctor Strange , to those in20th Century Fox’sX - Menfranchise , including furtherX - Men Originsinstallments and a crossover with Fox’sDaredevilandFantastic Fourfranchises . While some of these projects are likely good off never make it to theatre of operations , many of them would have potentially boast player who went on to have starring function in the MCU and other Marvel superhero franchise . These purpose would have altered many superhero careers long before the MCU existed , and therefore changed the shape of contemporaneous superhero cinema importantly .
Marvel ’s pre - MCU movie slating includes several projects between 2004 and 2006 that never saw the Inner Light of day . Here ’s every unmade Marvel film .
10Angela Bassett Almost Played Storm In 1989’s Wolverine & The X-Men Movie
Angela Bassett Debuted As Queen Ramonda In Black Panther (2018)
Angela Bassett debuted in the MCU’sBlack Pantheras Queen Ramonda , T’Challa and Shuri ’s mother , and reappeared as the Wakandan royal inAvengers : EndgameandBlack Panther : Wakanda Forever . Long before she joined the MCU , however , Bassett was considered to portray Ororo Munroe , a.k.a . the mutant Storm , inWolverine and the X - man . This 1989 labor was set to be directed by Kathryn Bigelow , produce by James Cameron and compose by Gary Goldman , withWho Framed Roger Rabbit’sBob Hoskins as Wolverine . Bassett certainly had the screen mien to impersonate the powerful Storm , but this pipe dream molding never come to fruition .
Angela Bassett was also the first choice for Storm when product was underway for 2000’sX - Men , but the role eventually went to Halle Berry .
9Stan Lee Wanted To Play J. Jonah Jameson In A 1980s Spider-Man Movie
Stan Lee Made Many Cameo Appearances In The MCU & Other Marvel Franchises
During the 1980s , Marvel Comics figurehead Stan Lee pushed for a live - action adaptation of Peter Parker ’s extraction tale as Spider - Man , and while this undertaking would have severely altered Parker ’s level from the comic , there was some bombination surrounding its product . Invasion USAdirector Joseph Zito was impound to mastermind the task , andStan Lee himself wanted to impersonate J. Jonah Jameson , the editor of the Daily Bugle . This molding may have been inspired , but would have made it unmanageable for Lee to cameo in various subsequent Marvel projection , alter one of the good MCU traditions long before the dealership began .
82004’s Deathlok Director Wanted Robert Downey Jr. For The Lead Role
Robert Downey Jr. Debuted As Tony Stark’s Iron Man In Iron Man (2008)
When a 1990sDeathlokmovie did n’t pan out out , Paramount Pictures bought the rights to the mechanically skillful Marvel Comics part , and began production on a new project . This hadSherlockandLuke Cagedirector Paul McGuigan tie , who expose in a 2009Gizmodointerview that he had eyeball Robert Downey Jr. for the titular role . Deathlok was by and by adapted for J. August Richards’Mike Peterson in Marvel Television’sAgents of SHIELD , whileDowney Jr. went on to spearhead the MCU as Tony Stark ’s Iron Man , but this may not have been potential had he starred as Deathlok only four years prior .
McGuigan had fancy Robert Downey Jr. for [ Deathlok ] , which would have been a very different purpose than Tony Stark .
7X-Men’s Toad Actor, Ray Park, Almost Played Iron Fist In The 2000s
Ray Park Appeared As Toad In X-Men (2000)
Prior to the development of the MCU , Marvel Studios worked alongside Artisan Entertainment to bring out a live - action moving-picture show focused on Marvel Comics ' Iron Fist . Back in 2001 , as reported byVariety , Ray Park was hired as the titulary mystical superhero , following his previous visual aspect asToad in 20th Century Fox’sX - Menin 2000.This would have see Park take on a much tumid function than his visual aspect inX - Men , and would have introduced the Immortal Iron Fist to audience long before Finn Jones assumed the role in Marvel Television’sDefenders Saga . This task saw multiple hold , and was eventually shelved .
6Bruce Campbell Was Going To Be Revealed As Mysterio In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4
Bruce Campbell Appeared As Pizza Poppa In Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
Bruce Campbell has been a veritable partner with conductor Sam Raimi since the pair worked on the short filmsIt ’s Murder!andWithin the Woodstogether , though this really begin with the release of 1981’sThe Evil Dead . Campbell made cameo appearances in each ofRaimi’sSpider - Manprojects , and was set to re-emerge inSpider - Man 4 , where he would ’ve been unveil as the villainous original of trick Mysterio ( viaGizmodo ) . AfterSpider - Man 4was scrapped to make room for Marc Webb’sThe Amazing Spider - Man , Campbell reappeared as Pizza Poppa in the Sam Raimi - directedDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness .
Bruce Campbell , who is a frequent collaborator of Sam Raimi , appear in Doctor Strange 2 — here is what happens alongside Campbell ’s Marvel history .
5Laurence Fishburne Was Almost Luke Cage In A Quentin Tarantino Movie
Laurence Fishburne Debuted As Bill Foster In Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018)
1991 saw acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino begin body of work on a project focus on Marvel Comics ' Luke Cage , the torpedo of Harlem with unbreakable skin . This project would have star Laurence Fishburne in the titular role , as noted by Tarantino during an interview withMTV(viaScreen Rant ) . Not much is know aboutTarantino ’s plan for Luke Cage , as he part to focus onPulp Fiction , but seeing Fishburne in the role years before joiningAnt - Man and the Waspas Bill Foster would have been grotesque . Fisburne ’s role expanded with 2023’sWhat If … ? , however , so his MCU futurity does seem bright .
After ' Reservoir Dogs , ' I had considered doing a ' Luke Cage , Hero for Hire ' movie . [ Producer ] Ed Pressman have the rights at that time , and we verbalise about it . I talked to [ Laurence Fishburne ] about being Luke Cage , and he really liked that idea . Then I ended up compose ' Pulp Fiction . '
4Jamie Foxx Wanted To Portray Luke Cage In John Singleton’s Movie
Jamie Foxx Appeared As Max Dillon’s Electro In The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) & Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
After Tarantino ’s departure from theLuke Cageproject , a dissimilar version of the character ’s Marvel Comics storey endure into production withBoyz n the Hoodand2 Fast 2 Furiousdirector John Singleton attached . Several actors , including Tyrese Gibson , Dwayne Johnson and Isaiah Mustafa utter interestingness in the persona , but Jamie Foxx uncover toIGNin 2014 that he ’d been approach about play Luke Cage . While this did n’t pan out in the 2000s , Foxx go on to appear as Max Dillon , a.k.a . Electro , in 2014’sThe Amazing Spider - Man 2 , and made his MCU debut in 2021’sSpider - Man : No Way Home .
3Idris Elba Was Also Almost Luke Cage After Tarantino’s Departure
Idris Elba Debuted As Heimdall In Thor (2011)
Along with several other actors , English actor Idris Elba expressed interest in portraying Luke Cage in John Singleton ’s undertaking ( viaComicbook.com ) . This would have get Brobdingnagian star - power to the role , as Elba achieved international acclaim after star as Stringer Bell in HBO’sThe Wirebetween 2002 and 2004.While Elba ’s casting as Luke Cage did n’t fall out , the doer become on to debut as Heimdall , the all - seeing Asgardian God , in 2011’sThor , and return inThor : The Dark World , Avengers : Age of Ultron , Thor : Ragnarok , Avengers : eternity WarandThor : Love and Thunder , which make the chance forHeimdall ’s MCU return .
I think , you screw , someone like Luke Cage , he ’s a normal humanity that has an extraordinary power . I retrieve that work on for me . I think that could get pretty dark and pretty sexy .
2James Franco Was Almost Multiple Man After Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy
James Franco Appeared As Harry Osborn In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy (2002-2007)
James Franco had a major theatrical role in Sam Raimi’sSpider - Mantrilogy in the early 2000s as Harry Osborn , the best friend toTobey Maguire ’s Peter Parker , a.k.a . Spider - Man , and boy of Willem Dafoe ’s villainous Norman Osborn . In 2017 , however , according toDeadline , James Franco was set up to asterisk in a twentieth Century Fox - producedMultiple Manproject , reinventing Marvel Comics ' mutant Jamie Madroxafter Eric Dane portrayed the grapheme in 2006’sX - Men : The Last Stand . This seems to evoke that Franco is still up for a role in a superhero franchise , though this likely wo n’t be as the MCU ’s Multiple Man .
1Emma Frost Was Intended For Sigourney Weaver In Bryan Singer’s X-Men 3
Sigourney Weaver Appeared As Alexandra Reid In The Defenders (2017)
Back in 2004 , Bryan Singer , who had channelise Fox’sX - MenandX2 , go the production of the then - calledX - Men 3 , which metamorphose intoX - Men : The Last Standunder the direction of Brett Ratner . Prior to his departure , however , Singer discover that the mutant Emma Frost would have appear inX - adult male 3 , and this part was intend for Sigourney Weaver(viaSuperheroHype ) . Acclaimed doer Sigourney Weaver would have been the stark alternative for Emma Frost back in the 2000s , as proven by her eventualMarvel Cinematic Universerole of Alexandra Reid , the leader of the Hand , in Marvel Television’sThe Defenders.
We were going to do hug drug - Man 3 for a little while and our openhanded secret or coup was – and it ’s not going to happen so it ’s OK – we want to have a reference that was Emma Frost , a illustrious X - Men character . She ’s yell the White Queen . We were going to involve Sigourney to be it . She was an empath in our version of the movie which intend she could control people ’s emotions .
Marvel Studios may retcon certain aspects of Netflix ’s Defenders type in the MCU , but there some details are better leave behind unaltered .
Custom Image by Kai Young
