That’s right, ScarJo may be an awesome ‘Black Widow’, but things would have turned out very differently had the role gone to Emily Blunt, who producers initially wanted to play the sultry super spy. But much like some of the others on this list, Blunt was already tied up in filming something else around the same time. This didn’t stop her from accepting the role at first, though.
Blunt came back to Marvel with a big, fat “yes,” but was quickly reminded by her team about scheduling conflicts with her film ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. She called execs back and reluctantly turned down the part, leading to Scarlett’s audition and ultimately to her filling the role.
Rachel McAdams: Pepper Pots
When one thinks of 'Pepper Pots' these days, they probably immediately think of Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays the role so well in the 'Iron Man' films. But before she landed the part of Tony Stark’s sultry and sweet assistant, it almost went to 'Mean Girls' star Rachel McAdams, who Marvel had their eye on for the part early on.
But Rachel McAdams would eventually find herself as a part of the Marvel family when she took the role of Christine Palmer in 'Dr. Strange'. As great as an actress as she is, Iron Man wouldn’t have been quite the same without Gwyneth’s quirkiness. McAdams seems to be doing just fine without Marvel and is set to be appearing on screen in her 3rd 'Sherlock Holmes' film next year.
Matt Damon: Daredevil
Let’s be serious for a second here. Did anyone actually like 'Daredevil'? Ben Affleck himself has admitted he regrets starring in the film – on more than one occasion. But apparently, before he accepted it, it was offered to his friend Matt Damon. Although Damon was admittedly a fan of Daredevil in the original comic books, he turned down the role claiming he didn’t know the film’s director, Mark Steven Johnson, well enough to take the risk, but he’d consider if Christopher Nolan was the man behind the camera.
Even though it hit number one in its opening weekend, compared to several of Marvel’s more successful films, this one came up short by several hundred million dollars, grossing just over $100 million over the span of its life in theatres. Does Damon regret not taking on the role of the butt-kicking, blind superhero? Not likely.
Bryan Cranston in Star Wars
Okay, now here is something that would be pretty epic to see – Bryan Cranston playing the role of one of the mutants in 'X-Men: First Class'. After Cranston’s starring role in 'Breaking Bad', he had offers coming at him left and right. Unfortunately, the actor turned down the chance to be one of Professor X’s adversaries.
The role of Nazi scientist mutant Sebastian Shaw went to Kevin Bacon after Cranston turned it down to work on 'Drive'. Bacon did the role justice and continued to play it through the next film, 'X-Men First Class: The High Hand' and 'X-Men: Apocalypse' via archive footage.
Joseph Gordon Levitt: Sky Lord
Chris Pratt plays the role of Peter Quill flawlessly in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'. It’s hard to even imagine what the films would be like without him, but imagining it wouldn’t be necessary had the role gone to the producer’s first choice – Joseph Gordon Levitt. The 'Snowden' star and Hit Record entrepreneur would have done amazing, too, no doubt, but he had something else going on at the time.
JGL was busy filming 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For' when he was offered the part, so producers called Pratt. However, Pratt didn’t accept the role on the first offer, either. Luckily, he gave it some thought and graced the screens as the Star Lord.