Superheroes tend to become influential quite easily. Thus, the actor who is cast as the particular superhero can either “make” the character or break it. In fact, there have been numerous occasions where the audience absolutely rejected the casting of certain superheroes. This, inadvertently, has a great effect on how the character is molded and even the future of the character. Nonetheless, with theworld of Marveland DC taking the lead in terms of superhero movies, one cannot disagree that there have been some perfect castings in the last few years. FromTom Holland as Spidermanand Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, it is hard for the viewers to think of anyone better to play these roles.
However, there are some infamous names that almost replaced certain actors in terms of some superhero roles. Fortunately, these alternatives did not come to see the light of day, either due to the actors being unable to connect with the role or due to schedule clashes. Either way, it might be shocking to see the following castings on-screen and might have even ended up shifting the superheroes in a completely different (and strange) direction.
10Russell Crowe as Wolverine
With Hugh Jackman having played Wolverine for about 17 years, it is definitely impossible to think of anyone else as Wolverine. In fact, Jackman’s fame skyrocketed with this particular role, while Wolverine ended up becoming a fan-favorite in the world ofX-Men. However, before Jackman was set in stone to play this character, Dougray Scott was set to play the role. He had to turn it down due to clashes withMission: Impossible 2,which, in turn, led Bryan Singer to considerRussell Crowe. In fact,Crowe revealedthat Singer was “putting the pressure” on him to take the role, but the actor decided to turn it down as he didn’t want to “be ‘wolfy’, like ‘Mr. Wolf’”. This was because of the reference to wolves in his role as Maximus inGladiator.Fortunately, this meant that Jackman was ultimately cast as Wolverine and went on to be one well-known actors in Hollywood.
9Burt Reynolds as Superman
The 1978Superman: The Movieby Richard Donner might haveset the foundation for the character, but it is obvious that Christopher Reeve’s performance as the superhero had a lot to do with the film’s success. So, the film might have taken a different direction ifBurt Reynoldswas cast as Clark Kent/Superman. Given that Superman is a character with two personas; one that flaunts his superhuman powers and strength and another simple-looking journalist who gets merged with the crowd, Reynolds might have not been able to capture the essence of the latter sincehis on-screen presence was much strongerthan Kent’s “invisible nature”. Thus, even if Reynolds might have made a great Superman, his portrayal of Clark Kent might not have been as on-point as that of Reeve.
8Tom Hiddleston as Thor
It is a well-known fact thatTom Hiddlestonauditioned for the role of Thor before he was cast as Loki, Thor’s brother and nemesis. It is both ironic and surprising to seeHiddleston taking over Thor’s role, even for a brief moment. Of course, the actor has played some heroes on different occasions. However, given that he is more aligned with Loki, who seems to be Thor’s foil, it may have been a bit awkward for him to take over Thor rather than Chris Hemsworth. It would have definitely been a darker Thor. Moreover, having someone else play Loki may not have made the character so popular and a fan-favorite, despite his mischievous acts and schemes.
7John Krasinski as Captain America
John Krasinskiis well-known for his role as Jim Halpert inThe Office. Since Jim tends to be a constant source of humor, Krasinski has become known as more of a fun dude. Unfortunately, “fun” is not a word that Captain America is associated with. Thus, seeing Krasinski as Captain America may have been awkward. Nonetheless, he went on to audition and, apparently,“acted (my) heart out”, but was unable to convince the creators that he was the perfect match. However, Kransinski ended up making his Marvel debut in 2022 as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Related:MCU: Is John Krasinski Done With Marvel?
6Marlon Wayans as Robin
While Tim Burton was adamant in bringing in Boy Wonder to his filmBatman Returns,not everyone was convinced that he should be introduced back then simply because there were “too many characters” in the movie. So, even ifMarlon Wayanswas cast as Robin, he did not make the cut. Looking back, he may not have made the perfect Robin simply because Wayans seems to be more of an animated actor than Robin’s character. Chris O’Donnell went on to replace him as Robin inBatman Forever, which seems to be a better choice.
5Leonardo DiCaprio as Spider-Man
With Spider-Man being a changing role, three brilliant actors have played this superhero over the last few years. However, ifLeonardo DiCapriohad been thrown into the mix, the audiences might have had a different reaction. Whether it would have been positive or negative is debatable but having Tobey Maguire play the role seems to make more sense since the actor was able to capture the “lost” and “hopeless” features of Peter Parker. Moreover, theyoung DiCapriomight have made the film come off a bit more romantic since by that time his role as Jack inTitanicwas still being discussed.
4Tom Cruise as Iron Man
What makes Iron Man so likable is Robert Downey Jr.’s persona. In fact, the actor’s personality seems to be perfectly on par with that of Tony Stark. Both are cool, fun, and somewhat responsible characters who make amazing leaders. However, prior to Downey Jr.,Tom Cruisewas offered the role, but the actor went on to turn it down since he wanted to “be able to make decisions”. If that casting took place, not only would the character of Iron Man have been different, but the films themselves would not have been what they are now. It is also hard to see anyone else connect so well with Holland’s Spider-Man.
3Bill Murray as Batman
Batman is yet another superhero that has been taken up by a variety of actors. WithRobert Pattinson being the newest memberto be this very gothic character, Batman is still making his way to the big screen. Interestingly, there was also a time whenBill Murraywas ready to take up the role, and so was Eddie Murphy. The lateIvan Reitman wanted to cast Murrayas Batman and Murphy as Robin, but since both actors wanted to put on the dark suit and not the green and red one, the production didn’t make it and Tim Burton ended up creatingBatmanwith Michael Keaton.
Related:The Batman 2: Who Will Be the Main Villain in the Sequel?
2Jack Black as Green Lantern
Martin Campbell’s 2011Green Lanternmight have done more harmthan good since it went on to have a negative impact on its lead, Ryan Reynolds. However, a worse version of DC’s Green Lantern would have been that of Robert Smigel, the infamous comedy writer who had a huge impact onSaturday Night Live. Given that these superhero movies are not exactly biased towards the comical nature, the film might not have received a positive response. In fact, the film hadJack Blackas the lead who playedthe role of Jud Plato.This would’ve been extremely uncomfortable to watch since it is even hard to picture Jack Black playing a not-so-funny role. With thescript dated June 19, 2025, being released, people soon found out what this film would’ve been. The response was an affirmative no, with many being glad that the film did not end up making it to the screen.
1Jim Carrey as Loki
Loki is one character with fascinating character development. He might not exactly be a superhero and rather, a favorite supervillain; he is deserving to be on this list simply because he went on to win everyone’s hearts. Obviously, Tom Hiddleston had a lot to do with Loki becoming so popular that some even preferred him over his half-sibling, Thor. That is why it is impossible to picture anyone else playing this role. However,Jim Carreywasconsidered to take over the rolebefore it was given to Hiddleston. This was simply because he had “previously worna mask belonging to LokiinThe Mask”. Yet again, Carrey’s Loki might have been completely different from that of Hiddelston. Whether it would have been successful might be debatable, butHiddleston’s portrayal of Lokicannot be replicated nor surpassed.
