From Emily Blunt to Jason Momoa: 5 actors who turned down MAJOR roles in Marvel films

Considering the success of Marvel films, at this point, it almost seems hard to imagine any other actors essaying the roles of our beloved superheroes. While fans believe that Marvel found its pitch-perfect casting with the likes of Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange and so on, the casting process certainly wasn't that easy and there were several other actors who were first found fit for the roles but things eventually didn't work out.

Recently, actress Emily Blunt's statement about rejecting the role of Black Widow has been going viral. While Blunt turned down the role of Natasha Romanoff, it was actress Scarlett Johansson who was finalized for the popular character. Johansson ended up doing such a fabulous job that it seems almost impossible to think of anyone else playing Black Widow.

The same is the case for some other Marvel characters as well, where the studio approached certain actors but met with disappointment after the stars rejected some famous roles. Let's take a look at all actors who have said no to MCU films.

Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt was recently in the news for discussing why she had to turn down Marvel's amazing role of Black Widow. Revealing that the superhero genre isn't really up to her alley, Blunt also confirmed that since she was already tied to another project, she couldn't come on board for Black Widow's role.

Jason Momoa

Actor Jason Momoa who essays the role of DC superhero, Aquaman was once also approached for a Marvel film. It was revealed by Momoa in an interview that he was offered the role of Guardians of the Galaxy's Drax the Destroyer character. It has been reported that the actor turned it down because it felt like something he had worked on before. The Aquaman star has maintained that Dave Bautista is perfect for that role.

Matthew McConaughey

Yes! Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey was also once approached for a Marvel film though that sadly didn't work out. Matthew previously revealed in an interview that he was approached for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, for the role of Star Lord's father. The actor was reportedly to pick a project between Guardians of the Galaxy and Dark Tower and he chose the latter. The role eventually went to Kurt Russell.

Joaquin Phoenix

Yet another Academy Award winner, Joaquin Phoenix who famously played the role of Joker in Todd Philips' film was first offered a role in MCU. Phoenix was approached for Doctor Strange and it seems the actor's hesitance to work on a film in the blockbuster category. Ultimately, Marvel and Phoenix couldn't come to a proper conclusion, resulting in Phoenix rejecting the project.

Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde once opened up about almost being cast in a Marvel film and it was a Guardians of the Galaxy. The actress was approached for Gamora's role that in the MCU films has been essayed by Zoe Saldana. Explaining to Guardian about why she didn't go ahead with the role, the actress in an interview said, "People thought I could only play the badass so I'd always get those roles. It just doesn't feel very human. I got cast as a computer program in Tron: Legacy and an alien in Cowboys and Aliens. I was, like, 'There's something wrong here.'"

Tell us one Marvel character whose casting you'd like to change now in comments! 

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