15 Actors Who Almost Played MCU Characters

by Jack Pooley

1. Emily Blunt - Black Widow & Peggy Carter

Black Widow Emily Blunt
Marvel Studios

Emily Blunt was originally offered the role of Black Widow for Iron Man 2, but due to a contract she signed before appearing in The Devil Wears Prada, she was obligated to star in another Fox movie of their choosing, and ended up appearing in the rancid Gulliver's Travels, which clashed with filming for Iron Man 2. What a bummer.

The same thing ended up happening a year later for Captain America: The First Avenger, when she was offered Peggy Carter but couldn't accept due to ever-pesky scheduling problems.

Would It Have Worked?: 100%. Blunt's a terrific actress with a rare combination of looks, charm and impressive physicality, as she proved so well in Edge of Tomorrow. It's Marvel's loss, but maybe timing between her and Marvel will work out one day in the future.

What do you think of these near-casting picks? A missed opportunity or a bullet dodged? Shout it out in the comments!

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.