10 Superhero Films You Won't Believe Could Have Happened

1. Michael Jackson's Spider-Man

Jack Black Green Lantern
Sony

Now hold on. We promise you're not having a stroke. You DID read that headline right. Michael Jackson - THE Michael Jackson - wanted desperately to play Spider-Man. That's a real sentence, referring to a real-world scenario.

Admittedly, this one was even further from happening than Quentin Tarantino's Iron Man film, but the sheer insanity of the concept is just... wow.

Even in death, Michael Jackson is the biggest pop star of all time. The Gloved One. Space Michael. The King of Pop. For all the controversy in his life, he was a bona fide god among men during his height. Apparently he wanted to be more than that. He wanted to be a superhero - specifically, Spider-Man, and he was prepared to go the extra mile to do it.

According to Stan Lee, back in the 1990s, Michael Jackson called him to see about buying the rights to the character. When that didn't work, Jackson inquired about buying the struggling Marvel outright, just so he could play Spider-Man.

COULD YOU EVEN IMAGINE?!

Maybe that dance number in Spider-Man 3 - as performed by Michael Jackson - would've made it all worth it.

Fun fact: he also lobbied for the role of Professor X.

Contributor

Dustin is your friendly neighborhood historian, nerd culture enthusiast, and professional wise-ass. Some of his favorite pastimes include writing, philosophizing, and antagonizing stupid people.