5 Actors Who Were Almost in the Captain America Movies

With Captain America: Brave New World, the Captain America franchise becomes the rare non-Avengers Marvel Cinematic Universe saga to exceed three movies. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson’s first go-around headlining a theatrical Captain America movie arrives nearly 14 years after Captain America: The First Avenger brought one of the very first Marvel Comics icons to the silver screen. In that time, the character of Captain America has evolved greatly in the public eye, and the various movies this character has headlined have become some of the biggest in history.

Along the way, the solo Captain America movies have deployed some of the most famous actors in history, including Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones, and many others. However, there were also several actors that were nearly cast in this franchise, and yet never made it on the call sheet for a Captain America film. These alternate casting decisions offer a tantalizing glimpse into radically different versions of familiar MCU installments.

Jeff Goldblum in Captain America: The First Avenger

Jeff Goldblum’s turn as The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok was one of that movie’s most acclaimed attributes, with this oddball performer proving hysterical as an unhinged galactic ruler. However, years earlier, Goldblum almost took on a very different, more grounded MCU role. This Jurassic Park veteran came very close to portraying Senator Brandt in Captain America: The First Avenger, a politician who conscripts Steve Rogers to go on a USO tour. Goldblum ended up passing on the role (which went to actor Michael Brandon), thus opening up the door for him to deliver so many unforgettable laughs in 2017’s Ragnarok.

Anna Kendrick in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

During development of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, there were no problems while casting some new characters. For instance, Anthony Mackie, was the only publicly disclosed figure ever rumored for Sam Wilson/The Falcon. The role of Sharon Carter, though, was a much more contested part. For months across the second half of 2012, rumors flew wild about countless women being in contention to play “the female lead” of The Winter Soldier. One name mentioned was Anna Kendrick. Fresh off her hit movie Pitch Perfect and only a few years removed from her Up in the Air Oscar nomination, Kendrick certainly would’ve been a prolific get for this superhero movie. Still, it’s hard to imagine Carter allowing Kendrick to make use of her best talents, like comedic timing. In the end, Emily VanCamp got the part instead.

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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

No less than Jamie Lannister was almost secured for a key evil henchman role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was one of the names bandied about for Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in late 2012, though Frank Grillo would later secure this character and reprise the role in subsequent MCU projects like Captain America: Civil War. Though getting Coster-Waldau didn’t work out, Marvel Studios would get to work with Game of Thrones lead actors on subsequent productions. Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, and Peter Dinklage, namely, have all had key supporting roles in post-2017 MCU productions.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Like Anna Kendrick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead was a name rumored to be vying for the role of Sharon Carter. Unlike many other contenders, Winstead was actually reported to be a frontrunner for the part. There hasn’t been any subsequent word on why this casting never worked out, though perhaps scheduling conflicts or Winstead’s potential hesitancy to sign on for multiple movies played a part. Whatever the reason, temporary Sharon Carter frontrunner Mary Elizabeth Winstead lost out on this role to Emily VanCamp.

Evangeline Lilly in Captain America: Civil War

So many different superheroes showed up to duke it out in Captain America: Civil War, including Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang/Ant-Man. However, some viewers may have been wondering where Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne/The Wasp was during all this costumed crime-fighter carnage. It turns out Lilly was strongly considered to show up as her superhero character in Civil War. However, it was decided that it’d be best to save Hope suiting up as The Wasp for the first time in a solo Ant-Man movie, where the momentousness of this event could be appreciated. Though she missed out on joining the Civil War brawl, Lilly has openly said she’s grateful they cut her from this production since it benefited her character in the long run.

Captain America: Civil War is now streaming on Disney+.