IGN.com has a list of '15 Actors Who ALMOST Played Avengers,' before things fell through for whatever reason.
And since Marvel movies are a cash cow . . . and they're also pretty well-made . . . some of them might be REGRETTING that they DIDN'T do it. Here's the list:
1. Tom Cruise was almost Iron Man. He was a contender to play Tony Stark way back in the '90s, well before the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' began with "Iron Man" and Robert Downey Jr. in 2008.
2. Sam Rockwell was also almost Iron Man. But this was just before Robert landed the role. Instead, Sam played the villain Justin Hammer in "Iron Man 2".
3. Wesley Snipes was almost Black Panther. This was also back in the '90s . . . and he was too old by the time it finally got off the ground. Chadwick Boseman is now Black Panther.
4. Jake Gyllenhaal was almost Spider-Man. He almost took over for Tobey Maguire in"Spider-Man 2". Now, Jake will make his Marvel debut as Mysterio in "Spider-Man: Far From Home" instead.
5. David Duchovny was almost Hulk. It was a close race between Edward Norton and David to star in 2008's "Incredible Hulk". Mark Ruffalo took over the role in "The Avengers".
6. Emily Blunt was almost Black Widow and Agent Carter. She was actually cast as Black Widow in "Iron Man 2" but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Scarlett Johansson is now Black Widow, and Hayley Atwell is Agent Carter.
7. Liam Hemsworth was almost Thor, before his brother Chris snagged the role after a second audition. Liam then did "The Hunger Games" instead.
8. John Krasinski was almost Captain America, but he reportedly backed out deep into the audition process. The part went to Chris Evans.
9. Glenn Howerton from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" was almost Star-Lord. "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn has said that Glenn was his second choice, after Chris Pratt.
10. Jason Momoa was almost Drax the Destroyer. Before he signed up to play Aquaman, he came close to being Drax, but he decided not to because it was too similar to other roles he's done. Dave Bautista got the part.
11. Olivia Wilde was almost Gamora. She was offered the part for the first "Guardians" movie, but turned it down. They later cast Zoe Saldana.
12. Jim Carrey was almost Rocket Raccoon. In 2013, there were rumors that BOTH Jim and Adam Sandler were being considered to voice Rocket in "Guardians". But the role eventually went to Bradley Cooper instead.
13. Saoirse Ronan was almost Scarlet Witch. Joss Whedon had her in mind when he was writing Scarlet Witch in "Avengers: Age of Ultron". But she turned it down, and it went to Elizabeth Olsen.
14. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was almost Ant-Man. He and Paul Rudd were the frontrunners in 2013, and Paul eventually won out.
15. Joaquin Phoenix was almost Doctor Strange. Before Benedict Cumberbatch was cast, Joaquin seemed to be the frontrunner, but he turned it down. Instead, he'll make his superhero debut as the Joker in an upcoming movie.
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