Hollywood is loaded with bonafide stars, both seasoned vets like Ben Kingsley and Meryl Streep and newcomers such as Glen Powell and Jodie Comer. With the latter two, it seems only a matter of time before they’re attached to an A-list superhero property to some degree. But, what about the former category? Those who have been in the industry since the subgenre started to boom in the aughts?
Well, most of them have been in a superhero movie, either as the lead hero, the head villain, or to a smaller degree. But there are certainly some who have seemed to either miss their opportunity or actively dodge the speeding super-bullet altogether. And those are the stars that follow, those who have not once actually been in a comic book adaptation movie, regardless of whether they were ever attached to one in the pre-production phase.
This means that even cameo appearances by big names, e.g. Matt Damon in Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder, count as them having been in a superhero movie, so they’ll be excluded.
Here are 10 famous working actors who’ve managed to avoid superhero film roles altogether.
10 Leonardo DiCaprio
Even with one of the most iconic careers in film history, Leonardo DiCaprio hasn’t ever really wandered into blockbuster territory. Sure, some of his movies have done extremely well, like Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Inception, The Revenant, and, of course, Titanic, but none that fell under the banner of an established IP. The closest he’s come is 2013’s The Great Gatsby.
It’ll Probably Stay That Way
That said, Leo came very close to playing a major villain in the DCEU. Specifically, Lex Luthor, a role that ended up being inhabited by Jesse Eisenberg. Suffice it to say, just about everyone who’s seen Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice would be hard-pressed to come up with a reason why DiCaprio wouldn’t have been a better choice. But that wasn’t even the first time, as DiCaprio was also cast as Spider-Man back when James Cameron was going to kick that franchise into gear.
9 Jennifer Lopez
An underrated actor, no matter how famous she is, Jennifer Lopez should have long ago been considered for a superhero movie. But discussions like that have seemingly never really taken place. And, yet, back in 2015, she showed interest in the subgenre, according to NY Daily News.
Maybe if Batfleck Were Still in the Picture
Her past hubby, Ben Affleck (perhaps two-times past hubby, it seems) was Batman for a few years. But, they weren’t together at the time. And, yet, were they together at the time, perhaps a DCEU movie could have shown off not only her range but her on-off chemistry with the nicknamed Batfleck.
8 Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey has been offered parts in superhero movies over the years, but he’s always said no. And, yet, there was one time when that scenario was reversed. It’s hard to believe, but at one point Marvel said no to him.
Probably Down the Line
Specifically, as McConaughey told Josh Horowitz on the latter’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, he actively pursued the role of Bruce Banner AKA The Hulk. Ostensibly, this would have been around the time Edward Norton took on the role, not for the Ang Lee version in which Eric Bana took the role.
7 Keira Knightley
Before the release of Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger, there was a main choice for the role of Peggy Carter. That would be Keira Knightley (via TheWrap), but the Pirates of the Caribbean star turned it down. In the end, the role went to Hayley Atwell, and she knocked it out of the park.
Pirates of the Caribbean’s Close Enough
But, at the end of the day, Knightley has been able to jump between blockbusters and indies at will. On the former side there is, of course, Pirates of the Caribbean. On the latter side, she’s been able to collaborate with filmmakers such as Joe Wright, David Cronenberg, and Kenneth Branagh.
6 Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling‘s only journey into superhero movie territory thus far is a 1999 TV film called The Unbelievables. But, as, well, unbelievable as that is, it’s not as if it was his only time being in discussion for a role in one. After all, before Jared Leto was picked, Gosling was in contention for the role of the Joker in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad.
He Doesn’t Need It
It’s certainly for the best he didn’t get that role. Although, on one hand, he could have starred alongside Margot Robbie before playing Ken in Barbie, and, on the other, fans would undoubtedly think whatever he did was superior to whatever it was Leto was doing.
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5 Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt, one of the most versatile and prolific performers of her generation, has openly expressed pride in never having a superhero role. So, one shouldn’t really expect her to say yes to a comics adaptation project by this point. But, she’s certainly been in discussions for them, most notably for the role of Black Widow in Iron Man 2 before Scarlett Johansson went on to play the part for over 10 years.
She’s Certainly Played Heroes Before
But, Blunt fans aren’t exactly hard up when it comes to seeing the A Quiet Place star in action-driven movies. For instance, The Fall Guy, or Jungle Cruise, even the drama-leaning Sicario. And, in a way, she’s already played a butt-kicking superhero in Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow, which is better than most Marvel and DC movies, anyway.
4 Tom Cruise
Arguably the purest definition of what it is to be a star, Tom Cruiseis always playing hero. There’s been the occasional outlier like Collateral and Interview with the Vampire, but far more often than not, he’s fighting aliens, pulling off elaborate spy missions, or flying planes through the air. So, in other words, if he were to star in a superhero film, it would almost certainly be in the role of the protagonist.
Reacher & Hunt = Close Enough
But, in truth, even though he’s still impressively doing his own stunts via hanging off the side of airplanes and leaping across rooftops, the man’s still 61 years old. It might be a little late to sign a five-picture contract with Marvel. And, given the Mission: Impossible franchise (which has only gotten better as time has gone on) is basically Cruise’s baby more than anyone else, he’s certainly gotten the franchise hero thing out of his system.
3 Johnny Depp
According to FandomWire, Johnny Depp was the original choice for the character Ghost Rider, and he was even interested in the role. But, it took a bit for that Nicolas Cage-led film to hit theaters, and by the time it entered production, Depp was busy with the first two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Perhaps it’s for the best, as that film wouldn’t have done his career any favors just as it didn’t Cage’s.
Maybe if the Comeback Proves Effective
But, of course, Depp’s personal life did some damage to his career for a spell anyway. Yet, now that that seems to be in the rearview mirror, there’s no reason for him not to inhabit a Marvel role. And, considering he hasn’t done so very often, perhaps a villain role could be fun.
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2 Emma Watson
Despite being in the industry for over two decades, Emma Watson has just 25 credits under her belt. And, of those 25, eight are Harry Potter. In other words, it’s not as if she’s unfamiliar with movies equipped with massive budgets.
With Harry Potter Money, Does She Really Need Marvel or DC?
Watson’s non-Harry Potter films have been, for the most part, both well-reviewed and low-budget. And, yet, she did star in Beauty and the Beast and Noah, which were fantasy films in their own right. So, perhaps, if the MCU ever has another fantasy-skewing movie franchise like Doctor Strange, she’d receive a call to lead the charge.
1 Denzel Washington
The only rumor that’s ever circulated regarding Denzel Washington and a superhero film is fairly recent. Specifically, for the impending The Fantastic Four, directed by Matt Shakman. It’s hard to say whether those talks actually happened, much less which character it would be for, but ostensibly it would be for whichever one John Malkovich is set to play.
Washington Still Got His Franchise
Washington is one of the most well-known actors in the industry, and his claim to fame has mostly been in the genres of action and drama. And, as for the action films, most of them have been fairly straightforward cops and robbers movies, except for the odd Deja Vu here and there. But, he’s still played a major action hero in Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer trilogy.
