Game of Thrones Star Emilia Clarke Was Originally Cast in Iron Man 3

Fans are still reeling over the ending of the Infinity Saga, which culminated after a decade’s worth of storytelling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Endgame. And while fans are eager to learn what’s next, it’s time to reflect on what could have been as filmmaker Drew Pearce just revealed an interesting piece of information about Iron Man 3, which nearly included one of the biggest stars from Game of Thrones.

According to the screenwriter of Iron Man 3, Daenerys Targaryen actress Emilia Clarke was originally going to be in the film but eventually didn’t participate in the production. Pearce revealed this juicy bit of info when talking about participating in the table read for Iron Man 3, in which he played the role of Paul Bettany’s JARVIS for the rehearsal.

It’s not clear just what role Clarke would have played in the film, though it’s possible she could have been set to play the Extremis scientist played by Rebecca Hall. Or she could have been an entirely different character that had to be re-written, hence the reason for Pearce stating “long story” in his Instagram caption. But it’s likely she could have had a major role, considering the popularity of Game of Thrones and her increased profile even back in 2012.

Even though she didn’t participate in this movie, Clarke’s career has still had an insane trajectory. Aside from starring in Game of Thrones, she’s also had high profile roles in Solo: A Star Wars Story and Terminator: Genisys.

With the ending of Game of Thrones, fans can next see Clarke alongside Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding in the upcoming holiday romantic comedy Last Christmas.

Maybe we’ll finally get her in a Marvel Studios movie in the near future, now that Daenerys’ time in Westeros has come to a close.