![Actors Who Turned Down Marvel Roles](https://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2022/01/attachment-turned-down-marvel.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Actors Who Turned Down Marvel Roles
Not a month goes by without an announcement of major new additions to the cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After several decades of Marvel movies and shows, hundreds of acting talents have now appeared in the MCU. Sometimes, it seems as if the studio has consumed every actor in Hollywood, like some kind of moviemaking Galactus.
But even after all this time, and all those hours of content, there are still holdouts. Before Marvel became the unstoppable juggernaut it is today, a lot of actors turned down the chance to appear in their movies. (Don’t forget; before 1998, the biggest Marvel movie ever was ... Howard the Duck.) Even now, after Marvel has exploded like Nitro in a fireworks factory, some movie stars remain uninterested in wearing a skintight costume and punching Mark Ruffalo in the face.
Most of Marvel’s actor negotiations remain shrouded in secrecy, but a few have come to light through the years. Below are ten of the most interesting (and potentially MCU altering) examples. Strewn across the multiverse are alternate realities where, for example, Joaquin Phoenix plays Doctor Strange. (Maybe that’s what Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness is about.) In chronological order, here are some notable actors who’ve turned down major Marvel roles.
Actors Who Turned Down Major Marvel Roles
![97.1 KXRX logo](https://townsquare.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/KXRXFM.png?w=100)
More From 97.1 KXRX
![Every Marvel Movie Ever Made, Ranked From Worst to Best](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2023/06/attachment-very-marvel-madame-web.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ First Reviews Call It a Fitting Farewell For the MCU’s Lovable Misfits](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2022/12/attachment-hcm-46445_r.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Matthew McConaughey Becomes ‘Agent Elvis’ In New Netflix Trailer](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2023/02/attachment-Agent_Elvis_S1_E1_00_04_09_11.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Deadpool and Wolverine ‘Hate Each Other’ in ‘Deadpool 3’](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2022/09/attachment-ryan-hugh-deadpool-3.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![‘Guardians Vol. 3’: Every Easter Egg in the New Trailer](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2022/12/attachment-WSA4540_TRL_comp_WTA_v0118.1032_R.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![How ‘Wakanda Forever’ Sets Up Kang and ‘Secret Wars’](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2022/10/attachment-SUM-08647_R.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Hugh Jackman Reveals How Deadpool/Wolverine Team-Up Came Together](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2022/09/attachment-ryan-hugh-deadpool-3.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![‘Guardians Holiday Special’: Every Easter Egg in the New Trailer](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2022/07/attachment-guardians-holiday-special.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Marvel Delays ‘Deadpool 3,’ ‘Fantastic Four,’ And More](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2021/02/Deadpool-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)