Casting a superhero movie is part science, part gut instinct, and part pure luck. For every actor who becomes forever linked to a cape or a suit of armor, there’s usually a list of other names who came close, sometimes agonizingly so, before the part slipped away. Scheduling conflicts, budget disputes, injuries, and even a single change of heart from a studio executive have all altered the course of these franchises in ways fans rarely get to see. What follows are ten real cases where a familiar face nearly ended up wearing the mask instead of the actor we know today. Some of these near misses came down to money, others to timing, and a couple came down to something as simple as an actor walking away.
1. Tom Cruise almost played Iron Man
Long before Robert Downey Jr. became synonymous with Tony Stark, the part almost went to another Hollywood megastar, Tom Cruise, who for an extensive period back in the mid-2000s had been attached to the role of the playboy billionaire genius philanthropist. A new book on Marvel’s history even traced the connection back further, noting that when the Iron Man rights were at 20th Century Fox, Tom Cruise, then thirty-four, had flirted with the idea of playing Stark.
According to reporting on the deal, Cruise was considered for the role but was not chosen because his asking fee at the time was too high for the studio to risk on an untested superhero property. Cruise himself has downplayed how close it really got, telling interviewers plainly, “Not close, not close, and I love Robert Downey Jr. I can’t imagine anyone else in that role.”
2. John Krasinski almost played Captain America
Before Chris Evans picked up the shield, the frontrunner for Steve Rogers was a very different kind of leading man. John Krasinski was a genuine finalist for Captain America, screen testing and coming close before the role went to Chris Evans. Reports from the time suggest the decision was closer than most fans realize.
Apparently The Office star had the part of Cap all but won after impressing producers during two screen tests, and when word leaked that he was the prime choice, fans went nuts, and Krasinski was left out in the cold. He eventually found his way back into the Marvel universe years later in a much smaller, surprise capacity, though never as the shield-carrying soldier fans once imagined him playing.
3. Dougray Scott almost played Wolverine
The first X-Men film almost introduced audiences to a completely different Logan. Dougray Scott was originally cast as Wolverine in the first X-Men movie, and by most accounts he was locked in and ready to go. The trouble came from an entirely separate production.
Filming delays and injuries from Mission: Impossible II forced him to step away at the last minute, which opened the door for Hugh Jackman, who went on to define the role for nearly two decades. It’s one of the more famous scheduling collisions in Hollywood history, and it ended up reshaping an entire franchise almost by accident.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio almost played Spider-Man
Years before Tobey Maguire ever wore the red and blue suit, a very different Spider-Man project was quietly taking shape. James Cameron once had plans for a Spider-Man movie that never made it past the script stage, and his choice for Peter Parker was none other than Leonardo DiCaprio, years before Titanic made him a household name. Cameron’s version reportedly leaned into a darker, more mature take on the character than what eventually reached theaters.
The project stalled amid rights disputes between studios, and it never advanced beyond the planning stages. Looking back, it’s wild to imagine how different both of their careers might have been if that project had actually happened. DiCaprio, of course, went on to build an entirely different kind of career, one without a superhero costume in sight.
5. Kate Winslet almost played Elektra
When Marvel and its partners were casting the female lead for 2003’s Daredevil, the net was cast surprisingly wide. There was a wide net cast when looking to fill the role of Elektra, with Lucy Liu, Salma Hayek and even Katie Holmes all considered, as was Titanic alum Kate Winslet. The role ultimately went to Jennifer Garner, who would later headline her own Elektra spin-off.
What makes the Winslet connection even more interesting is her overlap with DiCaprio’s own near miss in the genre. Considering her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio almost played Spider-Man for James Cameron, it raises the question of whether Winslet could also have been considered for Mary Jane Watson had that movie gotten off the ground. Two Titanic stars, two separate brushes with the superhero genre, neither of which panned out.
6. Sandra Bullock almost played Wonder Woman
Long before Gal Gadot suited up in the DC Extended Universe, there was an earlier, unrealized attempt to bring Wonder Woman back to the screen. In 1999, it was reported that Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver considered Sandra Bullock to be the one who would bring the character back to the big screens. Bullock was one of the biggest box office draws of the era, fresh off hits that made her a natural fit for a big studio tentpole.
The project never moved past early development, and Wonder Woman wouldn’t get a proper modern film until nearly two decades later. By the time Gadot took on the role, the character had been reimagined for a new generation of moviegoers. Bullock’s version, whatever it might have looked like, remains one of the more intriguing hypotheticals in superhero casting history.
7. Annette Bening almost played Catwoman
Before Michelle Pfeiffer delivered one of the most memorable performances in the Batman franchise, the role was actually meant for someone else. Annette Bening was actually the first choice to play Catwoman in Batman Returns, but she had to step away after learning she was pregnant, leaving the role suddenly open. The timing simply didn’t work out for a physically demanding role that required extensive stunt work.
What happened next became something of a Hollywood legend. Michelle Pfeiffer swooped in soon after and turned it into one of her most iconic performances. Bening went on to have a decorated career of her own, though she never did get another shot at a comic book role of that scale.
8. Warren Beatty almost played Superman
Decades before Christopher Reeve made the role his own, the Man of Steel nearly had an entirely different face attached to the project. Warren Beatty was one of the initial choices to play Clark Kent in the first major Superman film, and he was heavily involved in the development of the project and was even considered for a directing role. His involvement went well beyond a simple audition; he was shaping how the film might come together.
Eventually, the scale of the production proved too much for what Beatty wanted to take on. The actor eventually decided that the production was too large and complex for his interests at the time, moved on to other creative endeavors and left the role for someone else, and has never played a traditional superhero despite his status as a major Hollywood legend. Reeve, of course, would go on to define the character for generations of fans.
9. Armie Hammer almost played Batman
Before Christian Bale’s Dark Knight trilogy wrapped up, there was a different, unmade project aiming to bring together an entire team of DC heroes at once. Armie Hammer was set to don the cowl in George Miller’s unmade Justice League Mortal, and the ensemble was moving forward when outside factors halted the production. The film would have featured a young, largely unproven cast taking on some of DC’s most iconic roles years before the DC Extended Universe existed.
Financial and logistical issues, including labor disputes affecting the Australian shoot, eventually sank the project entirely. Batman would instead go elsewhere, with a very different actor stepping into the role for the character’s next on-screen chapter. Hammer’s Bruce Wayne remains one of the great what-ifs of superhero cinema, a film that never got past the planning stage despite being close to production.
10. Jason Momoa almost played Drax
Before he ever became Aquaman, Jason Momoa was actually in the running for a very different Marvel role entirely. Before his Aquaman days, Jason Momoa auditioned for Drax, and the actor seemed like the perfect fit as he has become known for landing tough character roles. The physical presence that later made him a convincing King of Atlantis would have translated just as easily into the muscular, vengeance-driven Drax.
The role instead went to Dave Bautista, whose performance became one of the more beloved elements of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Bautista’s version of the character is rock solid, he’s basically a sheep in wolf’s clothing while simultaneously bringing a good amount of comic relief to the films in which he stars. Momoa, meanwhile, found his own superhero home a few years later in an entirely different comic universe.
Looking at these near misses side by side, a pattern starts to emerge. Timing matters just as much as talent, and sometimes an injury, a pregnancy, or a budget dispute changes the direction of an entire franchise. The actors who eventually landed these roles weren’t always the obvious first choice, and that’s part of what makes superhero casting history so unpredictable to trace.
