There have been a number of near-misses and crazy casting rumours regarding characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - most of which we're very pleased didn't happen. John Krasinski as Captain America, Tom Cruise as Tony Stark, Steve Buscemi as Bruce Banner and James Marsden as Star-Lord are just some of the near-miss castings that didn't happen for the best. In fact, in general, Marvel's final casting decisions have mostly been spot on and it's hard to argue with any of them - but there are a few that, while good, could still have been that little bit better. We don't want to take away from the performances of the actors who did get the majority of these roles - as most of them did a decent enough job - but imagining certain other actors in the role does give us the impression that the characters in question could have been better still. So, based on previous performances, appearances and, in some cases, just the fact that the actor in question is awesome, we're going to take a look at some of the castings that could have happened that we wish did happen. Here are ten near-miss castings that very nearly improved the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We'll start with our top image candidate...
12. Jeff Goldblum As Bruce Banner - Hulk
Jeff Goldblum actually tested for the role of Bruce Banner in Ang Lee's 2003 debacle Hulk. He impressed and was certainly considered for the role, but we are aware that movie isn't part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, when Edward Norton left the rebooted role after having several artistic disagreements with Marvel, Goldblum was indeed considered for the job that ultimately went to Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo was great, but he certainly made his own version of Bruce Banner. Goldblum would have been more faithful to the comic book depiction and we know he can play both characters who transform in to beasts - such as in The Fly - and scientists and generally clever individuals - such as in Jurassic Park, Independence Day and, again, in The Fly. He would have been great and his "Mommy's very angry" line from The Lost World makes us think he could nail the "you wouldn't like me when I'm angry" line that Banner is so famous for saying.
