10 MCU Actors Almost Cast As OTHER Marvel Movie Characters

1. Jake Gyllenhaal Was Almost Spider-Man

The Role He Got: Mysterio

The Role He Almost Had...

Jake Gyllenhaal is no stranger to being linked to superhero movie roles, what with his history at the fringes of Batman casting, but his debut in a Marvel movie came a decade and a half after it could have first happened.

Back when Spider-Man 2 was being made, star Tobey Maguire almost had to drop out because he injured his back while making Seabiscuit in late 2002. It looked grim for him and the studio to the point that they entered negotiations with a possible replacement: Jake Gyllenhaal.

Allegedly, there's even a screentest out there somewhere of him in the Spidey suit.

Ultimately, Maguire miraculously healed and Sony didn't have to replace him, so Gyllenhaal's Spider-Man dream went on ice until he was cast to play Mysterio in the MCU Spider-Man series. Everything comes full circle eventually.