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- 16 times actors have talked about leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe
16 times actors have talked about leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Over 15 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had many actors come and go from the franchise.
- Actors like Chris Hemsworth have discussed leaving the MCU after starring in multiple movies.
Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas is the latest Marvel actor to talk about exiting the cinematic franchise.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor has been playing Ant-Man's mentor Hank Pym since the first movie in the trilogy in 2015.
At the premiere of the latest sequel, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," Douglas told the Hollywood Reporter that he would only return for another Marvel movie "as long as I could die."
It seems Douglas has his eye on leaving the franchise, which would make sense for his character. Hank's journey was completed in the second "Ant-Man" movie: he found his wife and now has a good relationship with his daughter.
In the latest "Ant-Man" movie, Hank felt more of a comedic side character compared to his previous appearances, in which he was the mastermind behind the Ant-Man hero team. It would make sense for him to retire and leave the superhero work to his daughter, Hope, son-in-law Scott Lang, and grandaughter-in-law Cassie Lang.
Dave Bautista
Dave Bautista also seems to have one eye on his Marvel exit.
Bautista has starred in five Marvel movies and one Disney+ special as the Kylosian alien warrior Drax the Destroyer. In May, Bautista will star in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," which will be the last film in the trilogy.
In 2021, Bautista told IGN that it will also be his last Marvel appearance.
He added in a now-deleted tweet: "Drax isn't going anywhere. He just won't be played by this dude! By the time G3 comes out I'll be 54 yrs old for gods sake! I'm expecting everything to start sagging any second now."
Last year, director James Gunn tweeted that "Vol. 3" will be "Drax's last movie and the end of the story for this group of Guardians."
In January, Bautista said on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" that the third "Guardians" movie will be the "perfect exit" for his character.
"It's the perfect exit. We all had those perfect character arcs and such a storybook ending," he said. "I constantly relate it to the way I ended my wrestling career. I ended it on a storybook note. And I would never go back and tarnish that. And it's the same with this."
Bautista continued: "With Drax, I just got to end the perfect way. And I would never sign up for another job as Drax just to get a paycheck. I would tarnish that, and I won't do it."
Chris Evans
At the end of "Avengers: Endgame," Steve Rogers retired from being a superhero, going back to the past to enjoy life with his former flame Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).
However, even before the film had come out, Chris Evans, who played the superhero, was adamant that "Endgame" would be his last.
"You want to get off the train before they push you off," Evans told Entertainment Weekly in 2018.
However, there have been rumors about Evans reprising his role despite the Captain America mantle being passed on to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson.
Evans responded to the speculation on a "D23: Inside Disney" podcast last year: "It was a really unbelievable ride and the character's just so dear to me and I'm just so precious with it. To return to the role, I mean the truth is, the role isn't even mine anymore."
He continued: "The role is Anthony Mackie's. So, you know, even if there was a different incarnation, not as Captain America, but you know for Steve Rogers, even that I'd be very cautious just because I love that chapter of my life professionally. I love what those movies accomplished and to revisit it and potentially have some weird extension to that legacy would be upsetting if it didn't land. So it would require a near-perfect recipe and it may just not be in the cards."
Robert Downey Jr.
There have also been calls to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU, despite Iron Man's death at the end of "Avengers: Endgame."
At the end of the "Avengers" movie, Iron Man sacrifices himself to defeat villain Thanos and his army, and the whole superhero community gathers for a funeral for him.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo said in the 2021 behind-the-scenes book "The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe" by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry that Downey even "started crying" when he first heard their plan to kill his character.
"And when we were done, he said, 'That's fucking awesome.' That's when we knew that we had to do it. Because he felt it," Joe said.
Despite rumors that he will make cameos in future Marvel projects, Downey has shut down the idea of returning in some form to the MCU.
In 2020, the "Sherlock Holmes" star confirmed on the "SmartLess" podcast that he was "all done" with Marvel.
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth is the only surviving member of the original MCU big three (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America).
However, it seems his eyes are also set on leaving the universe after playing the god of thunder, Thor, since 2011.
In the behind-the-scenes book "The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe," Hemsworth said that he thought he was being written out of the MCU after being left out of the crossover movie "Captain America: Civil War."
"They said, 'You're doing your own thing,'" the actor said. "I thought, 'This is it. I'm being written out.'"
Hemsworth later found out that Thor and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) were needed elsewhere for "Thor: Ragnarok."
Ahead of the fourth "Thor" movie, Hemsworth spoke about his Marvel future in an interview with Wired.
"The last one I just shot was 'Thor: Love and Thunder,'" the actor said. "And it may be my last, I don't know."
However, at the end of the film, a text card appeared that read: "Thor will be back."
In November last year, Hemsworth told Vanity Fair he is still "open" to another appearance but it may have to be his last.
"I've always loved the experience. I've been very thankful I've been able to do something different each time," the 39-year-old actor said.
"I feel like we'd probably have to close the book if I ever did it again, you know what I mean?" he said. "I feel like it probably warrants that. I feel like it'd probably be the finale, but that's not based on anything anyone's told me or any sort of plans. You have this birth of a hero, the journey of a hero, then the death of a hero, and I don't know — am I at that stage? Who knows?"
As of now, it is not confirmed when or how Thor will return to the MCU.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson's character Black Widow was also sacrificed in "Avengers: Endgame." However, Johansson still reprised the role in a solo movie set before the events of her character's death.
When asked by Fatherly if she would return as the super spy, Johansson said: "I have no plans to return as Natasha. I feel really satisfied with this film. It feels like a great way to go out for this chapter of my Marvel identity."
She continued: "I would love to be able to continue to collaborate with Marvel in other ways because I think there's just an incredible wealth of stories there. Reimagining this genre is something that I find very interesting. I think there's a lot of opportunities to tell these stories in different ways than audiences have come to expect."
Black Widow may be gone but there are reports that Johansson may not have completely left Marvel.
In 2021, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said at the 35th annual American Cinematheque Award that Johansson will work with Marvel Studios on "another non-Black Widow-related, top-secret Marvel" as a producer rather than an actor.
The actor told Collider a month later about the producer role: "It's like working with family there. Marvel has some of the best IP ever and you can really dream big there and nothing's ever off the table and you kind of throw all these blue sky ideas around and see what sticks."
"It's like a creative playground that's just like a dream. Again, I have that shorthand with my fellow creatives there that comes from being in the world for 10 years with those guys," Johansson added.
Jeremy Renner
While Jeremy Renner has continued to play Hawkeye for over 10 years, he has spoken about almost leaving the role on two occasions.
According to Radio Times, the actor said during a Q&A at London Film and Comic-con in 2016 that he did not enjoy his role in the first "Avengers" movie and wanted to be killed off.
In the movie, Hawkeye spends most of the time under the control of the villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston)
"I just had a heart attack in every scene — I'd just be walking with… Scarlett Johansson, and just like be ugh," Renner said. "And they said, 'What are you doing, man?' I'm giving you an option if you just want to kick me out of this movie. Just you know, at any given moment, if you wanna kill me off, daddy's gonna be having a heart attack."
Renner said at the event that he had since changed his mind and is "excited" to explore the character more.
In 2021, while promoting his solo Disney+ series "Hawkeye," Renner shared another story with Men's Health about a time he nearly left the role. This time, it was so he could spend time with his daughter Ava, who was born in 2013.
Renner said he began negotiating with Marvel so he could spend more time with his daughter.
He told Men's Health: "It taught me how to have the nuts to say, 'Everyone, fuck off. It's my time with my daughter.'"
He added: "I said, 'Fine, recast me. I'm going to be here with my daughter.' It was pretty gnarly."
As of his last appearance in "Hawkeye," which came out in 2021, Renner still seems to be sticking around in the MCU.
Josh Dallas
Some fans may have missed it, but the actor that plays Asgardian swordsman Fandral in "Thor" was replaced in the following sequels.
Josh Dallas was cast to play the character in the original "Thor" movie released in 2011. However, he told Entertainment Weekly a year later that he had to drop out of the sequel, "Thor: The Dark World," because of scheduling conflicts with his hit show "Once Upon A Time."
"I'll be missing out on wearing all that hair," Dallas said. "The timing wasn't right. I'm bummed about it because I had such a great experience and great time making the first film and was really excited about coming back. Marvel and Disney tried to make it work."
He continued: "But because of my commitment to 'Once Upon a Time,' I was not going to be able to do both. So I'll have to hand the reins over to someone else. I love Marvel. I wish them all the best. I will certainly be first in line to see it. On the other hand, I'm going back to the best job on TV. I love it and can't wait to delve in more."
Zachary Levi
After Dallas left the role of Fandral, he was replaced by "Shazam!" star Zachary Levi in "Thor: The Dark World."
Levi portrayed the character until Fandral died in "Thor: Ragnarok."
In 2019, Levi told Screen Rant he was glad his character was killed off.
"I knew when I got cast as Fandral in the first ['Thor' movie], though I wasn't able to do it, I knew that the Warriors Three could be really fun characters if they ever developed them. They just didn't," Levi said. "They didn't. They didn't in the first one. They didn't really in 'Dark World.' That's not to say there weren't some moments that were shot that weren't used, ultimately, in the movie."
He continued: "I knew Fandral could be fodder, would be fodder. I don't know... unless Marvel really wanted to be like, 'We want every single character we've ever seen, particularly demi-gods, to be able to be a part of Avengers.' But then the truth is, to be honest... If let's say Fandral was still alive, and let's say they tapped me to be in 'Avengers' ['Infinity War'], I'd probably be sitting in Atlanta for three months doing almost nothing. And then they'd be, 'Okay now we're ready for you, you guys go in,' And then we'd get killed then."
Levi also said that dying in "Thor" gave him the opportunity to play another superhero in the DC Extended Universe, Shazam.
He said: "But looking back, if I didn't die, I might still be under contract with Marvel and I never would have been able to get this job. And I say, 'Fuck that.' This is the coolest thing ever. I'm so happy. And literally to be able to jumpstart my life. I'm healthier and stronger and happier than I've ever been in my life."
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving is another actor who wasn't able to return after his first portrayal of a Marvel character.
Weaving played Steve Rogers' antithesis, the evil Nazi Red Skull, in "Captain America: The First Avenger."
However, a year after the movie came out, Weaving told Collider (via IndieWire) that he wasn't looking forward to returning despite having a multi-picture deal with Marvel.
"It's not something I would want to do again," Weaving said. "I'm glad I did it. I did sign up for a number of pictures and I suppose, contractually, I would be obliged to, if they forced me to, but they wouldn't want to force someone to do it if they didn't want to. I think I've done my dash with that sort of film."
He continued: "It was good to do it and try it out, but to be honest, it's not the sort of film I seek out and really am excited by. As an actor, to do all sorts of different films is great. It stretches you in different ways. But, I increasingly like to go back to what I used to always do, which is to get involved with projects that I really have a personal affiliation with."
It is unclear whether this interview had an impact when it came to "Avengers: Infinity War," but by the time the Red Skull made his triumphant ghoulish return in the movie, he was played by "The Walking Dead" star Ross Marquand instead.
Weaving told Time Out in 2020 that he didn't return due to negotiations about his pay.
"I was thinking [Red Skull] probably wouldn't come back in 'Captain America' but he may well come back as a villain in 'The Avengers,'" Weaving said. "By then, they'd pushed back on the contracts that we agreed on and so the money they offered me for 'The Avengers' was much less than I got for the very first one, and this was for two films. And the promise when we first signed the contracts was that the money would grow each time."
He added: "They said: 'It's just a voice job, it's not a big deal.' I actually found negotiating with them through my agent impossible. And I didn't really wanna do it that much. But I would have done it."
Edward Norton
Longtime fans of the MCU probably noticed Bruce Banner's facelift after his first outing.
Edward Norton starred in the second MCU movie in 2008 as the titular character in "The Incredible Hulk." However, he was then replaced by Mark Ruffalo in all the Hulk's future appearances.
In 2010, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige put out a statement to say that Norton was not returning.
"Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented castmembers," said Feige.
A year later, Norton told the Independent that the statement was "low, unprofessional and very dishonest."
"I found it a cheap and unnecessary representation that it was about things other than money," Norton said. "They came to me avidly to talk about it and then at the end of the day it was just flat out a business decision."
In 2019, Edward Norton addressed the statement again in an interview with the New York Times.
"It was brand defensiveness or something," the "Glass Onion" star said. "Ultimately they weren't going for long, dark and serious. But it doesn't matter. We had positive discussions about going on with the films, and we looked at the amount of time that would've taken, and I wasn't going to do that. I honestly would've wanted more money than they'd have wanted to pay me. But that's not why I would've wanted to do another 'Hulk' movie anyway."
Norton said he actually had ideas for two further Marvel movies.
"I laid out a two-film thing: The origin and then the idea of Hulk as the conscious dreamer, the guy who can handle the trip. And they were like, 'That's what we want!'" Norton said. "As it turned out, that wasn't what they wanted. But I had a great time doing it. I got on great with Kevin Feige."
Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard is another actor who was recast.
Howard portrayed Iron Man's best friend James Rhodes in 2008's "Iron Man." However, after the first movie, Rhodes was recast and played by Don Cheadle.
In 2013, Howard said on "Watch What Happens Live," while seemingly referring to Downey: "It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man when it was time to re-up for the second one, took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out."
He added: "We did a three-picture deal, so that means that you did the deal ahead of time. It was going to be a certain amount for the first one, a certain amount for the second one, a certain amount for the third. They came to me with the second and said, 'Look, we will pay you one-eighth of what we contractually had for you, because we think the second one will be successful with or without you.'"
Howard also seemed to make another reference to Downey, saying: "And I called my friend — that I helped get the first job — and he didn't call me back for three months."
In 2019, Howard returned to the Bravo show and was again asked if he would return to the MCU.
"You know what's so funny?" Howard said in response. "Even though I love Don Cheadle so much and I love what he's done, I still hear a lot of fans asking, 'Am I going to come back and be War Machine? Am I going to come back and be War Machine?' I think they could have a huge franchise off of it, but fuck 'em."
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has said in the past that he is keen to return as Scarlet Witch's speedster brother Quicksilver, however, it looks less and less likely that he will return.
Taylor-Johnson played the speedster in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," in which he tried to kill the Avengers with Hydra and Ultron before switching sides to help the Avengers and sacrificing himself for Hawkeye.
In 2018, the "Bullet Train" star told the Associated Press (via Metro) that he's "always open" to reprising the role but there was no news to share of his return.
A year later, he told ScreenRant: "I think we're both open to possibilities, like the Marvel Universe like it has been over the years, but obviously, yes, I'm aware of the Disney+ platform and all of the shows that are going and I'm still in touch with a lot of the people. I mean, I think it's safe to say that no, I'm not gonna… there will be no appearance of me coming out or Quicksilver appearing anytime soon."
This statement still seems to be the case today. In "WandaVision," Taylor-Johnson was seemingly replaced by Evan Peters as Quicksilver before it was revealed to be a red herring.
Meanwhile, Taylor-Johnson has been cast as another Marvel character in Sony's Marvel movies. He will star in "Kraven the Hunter" as the titular character later this year.
Zoe Saldaña
Zoe Saldaña has been on a hot streak over the last decade, starring in several hugely successful franchises like "Avatar" and "Star Trek," as well as playing Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Not only did she play the feisty green assassin in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, but she also reprised the role for both "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."
But because Gamora is a green alien, the character requires plenty of time in the make-up chair – and Saldaña made it clear to Variety in 2022 that she's not keen on returning to the role.
She said: "I can never say no to anything, but that green makeup? I wouldn't be upset if it didn't happen again."
The 44-year-old star added: "I miss Gamora, but I don't miss 3:30 a.m. calls and five-hour makeup sessions and trips to the dermatologist afterwards."
Cosmetics aside, Saldaña has also grown tired of working on franchise movies, telling Women's Wear Daily: "I feel that for the last 10 years of my life, I've been just stuck. I felt stuck doing these franchises."
She also explained: "It also meant that I felt artistically stuck in my craft of not being able to expand or grow or challenge myself by playing different sorts of genres and different roles."
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman joined the MCU in its early days, playing scientist Jane Foster in 2011's "Thor" opposite Chris Hemsworth as the titular god of thunder.
But when "Thor: The Dark World" rolled around, she was reportedly "deeply unhappy" that director Patty Jenkins had left the project (via The Hollywood Reporter).
And in 2016, she told Vanity Fair that she didn't expect to come back for future films, saying: "As far as I know, I'm done. I mean, I don't know if maybe one day they'll ask for an Avengers 7, or whatever."
She also said that "Thor" was "a great thing to be a part of."
Portman would later return to play Jane in "Thor: Love and Thunder," which adapted the scientist's storyline in the comics in which she becomes Thor herself while also dealing with cancer.
Portman enjoyed the character's transformation so much that she's now open to coming back for more, telling the Los Angeles Times: "I am open to anything. It's such a cool character and I feel like anything is possible."
Chris Pratt
"Parks and Recreation" star Chris Pratt famously went through an intense transformation to play Star-Lord in "Guardians of the Galaxy" opposite Zoe Saldaña and Dave Bautista, but he's preparing to leave the role behind after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
Speaking to Men's Health in 2022 about the team's final film, Pratt explained that he's just trying to be "present" and enjoy the moment.
He said: "You want to be conscious and put a lot of effort into experiencing the moment. Like, this is going away. I want to take it in. You can't take it in any harder than just being present to it. So I'm being present."
Pratt then said that he got emotional when he realized that the Seattle Seahawks quarterback is leaving after the same amount of time that he's been in the MCU.
"The other day, Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback, he got traded to Denver. He's been with Seattle for about 10 years. Which has been about the duration of this," the actor said. "I was like, 'Wait, hold on, what happened?' The emotion around the last 10 years sort of coming to an end. I was in the most embarrassing way, like, 'My quarterback leaves, so I'm gonna cry.' It's hitting me in moments like that."
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