15 Actors Who Almost Played MCU Characters

6. Joaquin Phoenix - The Hulk & Doctor Strange

Joaquin Phoenix has flirted twice with joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe: firstly, he was linked with The Hulk back in 2010 when Marvel were seeking a replacement for Edward Norton, and more recently he came extremely close to playing Doctor Strange, but ultimately opted against it as he didn't think it suited his acting sensibilities.

As incredible as it is to consider him in these roles, it's hard to argue with the brilliant work Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Cumberbatch have done all the same.

Would It Have Worked?: Without question, though Phoenix himself has said in interviews that he wouldn't be happy having to compromise character for set-pieces and being tethered to a multi-movie contract, so it's really for the best he didn't do it.