‘Deadpool’ is one of Marvel’s most hilarious and unique superhero movies, with terrific acting, laugh-out-loud moments and awesome action scenes – not to mention Ryan Reynolds. But, as much as any fangirl watching the film would’ve loved to play the snarky superhero’s girlfriend, Vanessa, Olivia Munn was less than excited about it.
Munn gave producers a big, fat “no,” citing that she was tired of playing the girlfriend and wanted something that gave her more action scenes. In 2016, the actress got what she was looking for when she landed the role of Psylocke in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’. The role of Vanessa ultimately went to Morena Baccarin, who was more than happy to take the part.
Jessica Chastain Says "No" to Playing a Civilian
Jessica Chastain would have made a nice addition to the 'Iron Man 3' cast, which she was set to do as sultry scientist rival to the leading man, himself. But before they started filming, Chastain made the announcement she’d be unable to play the part due to scheduling conflicts. But that wasn’t all she had to say about it.
Apparently, Chastain wanted to play a more exciting role in a Marvel movie, although she had her sights set on joining the franchise somehow. Not long after missing out on 'Iron Man', she was offered a similar role as Dr. Erica Sondheim in the 2015 'Ant-Man' film. Then in 2017, she got her wish when she was cast as an alien shapeshifter in 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'.
Jensen Ackles
'Supernatural' fans everywhere would be beside themselves if Jensen Ackles landed a part as a superhero in a Marvel film. He’s played the role of cocky, cute and deadly Dean Winchester for 14 years and he knows his action scenes, which is probably why producers invited him to audition for the role of 'Captain America'. The part went to Chris Evans, of course, but hey – a fangirl can dream, right?
Even though he missed out on the starring role, producers still wanted him to be a part of the movie and offered him the smaller part of the rebellious Hawkeye. But Jensen never ended up taking on any roles in the MCU at that point, due to his schedule for 'Supernatural'. Here’s to hoping that they offer him another role in a film now that 'Supernatural' is coming to an end.
Josh Hartnett as Spider-Man
Josh Hartnett has an extensive history of playing badass parts in major films. Take, for instance, his role as law enforcement officer turned vampire hunter, Eben Oleson, in '30 Days of Night', or Danny Walker in 'Pearl Harbor'. But when Marvel came to him to ask him to put on the Spidey suit, he turned them down – and that wasn’t the only time. The actor told Playboy magazine that he’d been offered the roles of Spider-Man, Superman and Batman.
As amazing as it would be to see Josh Hartnett play Batman, he turned down every chance he had to play a superhero. According to the interview, the reasoning behind his decision to not work with the franchise was that he thought it would narrow down his future opportunities and put him in a box that he didn’t want to be in. Well maybe, but it also would have made him a boatload of money.
Alec Baldwin as a Bad Guy
Alec Baldwin is mostly known for his comedic roles, such as that of Jack Donaghy on '30 Rock', or his many stints on SNL. Of course, he’s done his fair share of serious roles, too – but never that of a supervillain, which is exactly what Marvel wanted from him when they offered him a part in one of their movies. Unfortunately, he had some family obligations going on at the time and had to decline.
So, Alec may have missed his first chance at becoming a part of the MCU, but rumor has it that he’s set to be in the new 'Black Widow' movie, starring ScarJo. Keep your eyes peeled for the trailers and your fingers crossed that he plays a sinister role, because that’s going to be super exciting to see from him.