Several Marvel characters have been depicted by various actors in film and television reboots over time, but many of them did not appear in live-action form until the MCU. However, this doesn’t mean that other actors haven’t been linked to these roles. Take Patrick Wilson, for instance, who was supposed to play a major role in Ant-Man 3.
Over the years, numerous Marvel characters came very close to being portrayed by different actors, resulting in some intriguing and surprising combinations. To commemorate the Multiverse of Madness, let’s take a look back at a handful of the actors who played significant MCU heroes.
Patrick Wilson Almost Got Cast As Yellowjacket
While many castings don’t quite materialize, there are a couple of exceptions, such as Patrick Wilson’s potential portrayal of Darren Cross, the primary antagonist in the Ant-Man series, also known as Yellowjacket.
The Aquaman and The Conjuring actor was initially involved in the venture during its initial stages under the direction of Shaun of the Dead’s Edgar Wright. However, Wright departed the project in 2014 citing creative disagreements, and Wilson also parted ways shortly thereafter, purportedly due to scheduling conflicts.
Following Wright’s departure, Peyton Reed ultimately assumed the directorial responsibilities for the project and its subsequent sequels, while the role of Yellowjacket was filled by Corey Stoll after Wilson’s departure.
According to the report, in the comics, Cross is the chief of Cross Technological Industries and transforms into a sort of powerful figure. The film’s rendition is expected to feature a yellow and black suit akin to Ant-Man’s, but with a more militaristic appearance, hinting at a fusion of various characters, potentially including Yellowjacket.
Patrick Wilson Bagged a Major Role In Aquaman
Patrick Wilson, known for his role in Aquaman, joined the project even before a script was finalized, driven by his unwavering faith in director James Wan. Before their collaboration on Aquaman, the combined budget of James Wan and Patrick Wilson’s two Insidious movies and two Conjuring entries was estimated at around $66 million, with a collective global gross nearing $900 million.
Patrick Wilson sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his enduring partnership with Wan and how he acclimated to the unique atmosphere on the set of Aquaman. He also reminisced about some of his past characters and hinted at the possibility of exploring a musical drama, given the current strong appetite among audiences for such films.
Wilson told THR:
“When we were discussing Aquaman, I said to my agent and my manager, who are both dear friends of mine, that James wanted me to do the role. They said, ‘Do you know what it is? Do you know how big the role is? How much screen time? What about the script?’ I said, ‘No, but I know he’s not going to just waste my time.'”
Patrick Wilson expressed his trust in James Wan, emphasizing that the size of the role was not the deciding factor for him. He believed that working with Wan would challenge him and be a valuable use of their time together.
