13 Movie Villains You Didn't Know Almost Played The Hero

1. Heath Ledger Was Almost Batman Before He Was The Joker

As well as turning down Spider-Man for fear of being type-cast as a superhero, Heath Ledger was considered to play another darker hero before he left jaws hanging with his exceptional, irresistible performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Had Christopher Nolan got his way, Ledger may never have won his posthumous Oscar for the skin-crawlingly brilliant performance, as the director initially approached Ledger to come in as part of the cavalcade of young actors who tested for Batman. During the meeting, Ledger stuck to the same party line as he had when Spider-Man came up, and graciously turned down the opportunity saying to Nolan that he would "never take a part in a superhero film."

Thankfully, the success of Batman Begins changed Ledger's stance, and such was his enthusiasm (and Nolan's belief) that he was attached to the Joker role even before Nolan had a script.

Which of these near-miss heroes do you think would have worked? Share your picks below in the comments.