Wasted Potential: Actors that Should Have Been Superheroes

[metaphysician]

If they had made Captain America or Avengers films in the 1960s and 1970s, I think Donald Pleasance would have made a good Armin Zola of Hydra

I feel like that would be missing the obvious: Baron Wolfgang Strucker. Granted, that would be *waaaaay* on the nose.

 

[Frodo]

I feel like that would be missing the obvious: Baron Wolfgang Strucker. Granted, that would be *waaaaay* on the nose.

Pleasance could play that role as well, though I prefer Telly Savalas as Strucker.
At least, that's who I have as Strucker in all my 60s fancasting. Lol.

I could totally see Telly showing the same bluster and ego he showed in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

That would contrast with the more cerebral and weasely, Pleasance Armin Zola

 

[Frodo]

Cameron and Bigelow were attached to X-Men at one point? I didn’t know that. Might have been interesting to see what they would have done but then, I remember a certain scene in Cameron’s Spider-Man film concept that made be glad he never got his hands on the the web-slinger.

Speaking of X-Men in the 1990s, I remember Wizard used to do a regular column back then where they would fancast hypothetical superhero movies and they did one for X-Men. I think Bassett was their pick for Storm and they also had Michael Biehn for Cyclops. I always loved that idea. But then I remember they also had Glenn Danzig for Wolverine so not all of their ideas were very well thought out lol.

I never really got the Danzig for Wolverine thing, even in the 90s .Lol.

Bigelow and Cameron originally had planned to do the X Men in the early 90s , I think , though Bigelow was attached to direct.

During one of their pitch meetings to Stan Lee, the conversation turned to Spiderman, and Cameron expressed his enthusiasm with that character more than with the X Men.

He and Stan Lee began talking more and more about Spiderman, and X Men, the original subject for the meeting, fell by the waste side. Lol.

From that point on things shifted towards getting Cameron working on developing Spiderman.

Your memory is very good. Here's the Wizard Magazine casting call

Brings back memories.
I really wish I hadn't chucked most of the Wizard magazine issues out a couple decades ago.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Fred Ward would have been the perfect Wolverine

 

[Deck Rickard]

I never really got the Danzig for Wolverine thing, even in the 90s .Lol.

Bigelow and Cameron originally had planned to do the X Men in the early 90s , I think , though Bigelow was attached to direct.

During one of their pitch meetings to Stan Lee, the conversation turned to Spiderman, and Cameron expressed his enthusiasm with that character more than with the X Men.

He and Stan Lee began talking more and more about Spiderman, and X Men, the original subject for the meeting, fell by the waste side. Lol.

From that point on things shifted towards getting Cameron working on developing Spiderman.

Your memory is very good. Here's the Wizard Magazine casting call

Brings back memories.
I really wish I hadn't chucked most of the Wizard magazine issues out a couple decades ago.

Haha awesome! Ahh yeah it was Iman that they wanted for Storm. Not sure how that would have been. Tia Carrere as Psylocke is great casting though. Dorn as Bishop isn’t bad, but from that era, I would have gone with Julius Carry (Lord Bowler from Brisco County Jr.).

 

[Drizzle]

Fred Ward would have been the perfect Wolverine

I totally read your post too fast and thought you put Fred Willard.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I totally read your post too fast and thought you put Fred Willard.

Now THAT’S a Wolverine I would want to see!

 

[Frodo]

Fred Ward would have been a great Wolverine.
So would Kurt Russell.

 

[Babillygunn]

I totally read your post too fast and thought you put Fred Willard.

Ha. I did too.

 

[Herofan]

Freddie Prinze Jr.
How Freddie Prinze Jr. Blew His Audition for Tobey Macguire's Spider-Man

I remember in 2000 Raimi joked Freddie Prinze Jr. wouldn't even be able to watch the film, which was mean but funny, reflects the common I think correct idea that he would have been wrong for the role. He doesn't actually look much like a popular jock, though he looks more jocky than brainy or nerdy, but at the time he was very much associated with playing popular jocks (in low-common-denominator movies).

Green Goblin / Norman Osborn

Nicholas Cage
'Spider-Man' Casting Nic Cage?

There is some resemblance but he probably would have overplayed him at least a bit and also I think Cage tends more to thin.

It's Official: Malkovich Passes on Green Goblin - IGN

I've got to admire his honesty, openness, that it was too much time, not enough money, and he's not really in to the kind of movie, so good that he did pass on it, rare to see that kind and amount of openness. So he probably wouldn't have done very well as Vulture later on though he might have, even not being super-passionate about it, if it had a good script.

 

[Kane52630]

Lynn Collins as Wonder Woman.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Ana de Armas.

I'm hopeful either Marvel or DC will eventually snap her up. She would have made a great Selina Kyle.

There are plenty of roles from both sides that would suit her.

 

[Frodo]

Lynn Collins as Wonder Woman.

Catherine Zeta Jones would have made a great 1990s era Wonder Woman, though she doesn't have the tall as stature of Gadot or Carter.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I feel bad for Lynn Collins. She should have had a bigger career but starring in twin suckfests XMO Wolverine and John Carter really hurt her.

 

[Frodo]

I haven't seen Collins in a while.
Hopefully she'll get another shot at a CBM from WB or Marvel in the future.

 

[Drizzle]

She was in The Walking Dead recently. I didn't recognize her in the show until I looked it up and saw it was her.

 

[3rdstone]

Lynn Collins as Wonder Woman.

Yeah, that was my thought as well when watching John Carter.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Emma Stone.

She was amazing as Gwen. One of my favorite love interests. She's good enough to headline her own superhero franchise though. She oozes charm and charisma.

Spider-Gwen is a no brainer.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I know hair dye exists and it doesn’t matter but I always found it kinda funny that we’ve had two Gwens played by redheads who needed to dye their hair blond and a blond Mary Jane who needed to dye her hair red.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

I remember in 2000 Raimi joked Freddie Prinze Jr. wouldn't even be able to watch the film, which was mean but funny, reflects the common I think correct idea that he would have been wrong for the role. He doesn't actually look much like a popular jock, though he looks more jocky than brainy or nerdy, but at the time he was very much associated with playing popular jocks (in low-common-denominator movies)...

Raimi's dislike of Venom was even apparent back then ... but kinda surprise he didn't think to circle back to Freddie when it actually came to casting Eddie {ha Freddie}

no, Freddie Prinze Jr. (despite playing "popular Jock roles" in the past) isn't traditionally the tough guy type, but, compared to Topher he would have been sightly more intimidating looking

 

[Scarlet Spider]

I know hair dye exists and it doesn’t matter but I always found it kinda funny that we’ve had two Gwens played by redheads who needed to dye their hair blond and a blond Mary Jane who needed to dye her hair red.

Emma's actually a natural blonde but her red hair has always been her signature look. I get what you mean.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Emma's actually a natural blonde but her red hair has always been her signature look. I get what you mean.

Oh she is? Haha I never knew that.

 

[Frodo]

I thought Logan Lerman would have made a good Spiderman circa 2009-2014, and his name was thrown around for the part , but , it didn't happen ultimately.

I also felt Mary Elizabeth Winstead would have made a great MJ to Garfield's Peter during the ASM era

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Always loved MEW.

I was also big on fancasting her as MJ.

She made a great Huntress though. Just a shame BOP failed. She deserved better.

 

[Deck Rickard]

MEW as Mary Jane would have been great. Not sure on Lerman though. He’s not bad but I always kinda thought of him as the less talented Zac Efron. Though maybe he’ll change my mind in Bullet Train.