Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the biggest platforms for actors to collect crown jewels to adorn their resume with remarkable credits. However, for some reason, a few actors had to call it quits abandoning their roles.
Most recently, Jonathan Majors who played Kang the Conqueror was dropped from the MCU by Marvel Studios after he was convicted of assault on his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Majors is not the only actor to be released by the studio, these five actors were also at the exit door of MCU for different reasons.
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5. Terrence Howard Was Conflicted With His MCU Salary
James “Rhodey” Rhodes is one of the important allies of Iron Man and he has been Tony Stark’s best friend. Empire actor Terrence Howard played the character in the first Iron Man movie that came out in 2008. Following the success of the movie, the studio went ahead with a sequel and Howard was approached to reprise his role. However, the actor demanded a higher salary and the studio was not in agreement and decided to let him go. Hotel Rwanda star Don Cheadle replaced Howard in the role of Colonel James Rhodes.
4. Josh Dallas’ Untimely MCU Departure
The Descent actor Josh Dallas played the Asgardian warrior Fandral in the first installment of the Thor franchise that came out in 2011. Dallas was scheduled to appear in the second movie of the franchise, Thor: The Dark World as well. However, due to his previous commitments to other projects, the actor had to leave through the exit doors of the studio. Shazam! star Zachary Levi replaced Dallas.
3. Edward Norton’s Alleged Demands Cost Him Bruce Banner
Many fans and critics are in agreement that Mark Ruffalo has been the perfect cast for Bruce Banner a.k.a. The Hulk. Fight Club star Edward Norton was the original actor to play the character in a solo movie. Norton’s The Incredible Hulk hit the theaters in 2008 grossing over $264.8 million against the production budget of $137.5–150 million. Later, the actor was supposed to reprise his MCU role in Avengers but it never happened. Two factors kicked in for Norton’s departure— the first being the faces of Bruce Banner and the Hulk in the Norton movie were not a match, secondly, the actor allegedly wanted a huge creative control which was not digestible for the writers, director, and producers. Ruffalo replaced the actor in Avengers and continued to play the character.
2. Damion Poitier Was the Original Thanos
Thanos made his debut in the 2012 movie Avengers. In the brief cameo, Damion Poitier played the role of the Mad Titan. At the time of his first appearance, the creators brought in Poitier in a hurry, and as Thanos was set to be the main villain of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the creators wanted a new actor to match the essence of the character. Deadpool’s Josh Brolin replaced Poitier in the later films.
1. Hugo Weaving Left MCU For Good
Hugo Weaving has an astounding career to his name which includes acclaimed titles like The Matrix and The Lord of The Rings. The actor played Steve Rogers’ nemesis Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger. However, when the character was scheduled to reprise the role in Avengers: Infinity War as the guardian of the Soul Stone, Weaving reportedly refused to continue the character as he was more focused on shifting his career goal to appear in lesser blockbusters. The Walking Dead fame Ross Marquand replaced Weaving for the role in Avengers: Infinity War.
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