15 Actors Who Almost Played MCU Characters

12. Matthew McConaughey - Doctor Strange & Ego The Living Planet

Following his career "McConaissance" back in 2014, Matthew McConaughey was actively sought by Marvel for the role of Doctor Strange, making the shortlist but, for reasons neither party has fully elaborated on, the Sorcerer Supreme eventually went to Benedict Cumberbatch.

That wasn't the end of it, though: McConaughey was then offered the part of Ego the Living Planet in the recent Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, played so brilliantly by Kurt Russell, but turned it down to play a bigger role in the upcoming The Dark Tower instead.

Would It Have Worked?: Having seen Cumberbatch's Strange, it's incredibly difficult to imagine McConaughey playing the same version of the character, considering he flourishes with effusively charismatic characters.

Ego, though? He'd knock that out of the park in a heartbeat, though the fact he's only a decade older than Chris Pratt might've made the father-son angle feel a bit weird.