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10 Actors Who Were Cut From MCU Movies Before They Released
MCU roles have been left on the cutting room floor.
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Over the years, several actors billed to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have ended up being cut from their Marvel movies during production for a variety of reasons. Marvel Studios has skyrocketed many talented actors to international fame, and it's rare that viewers watch anything nowadays that doesn't feature someone who's appeared in an MCU movie. However, not every actor originally expected to appear in Marvel Studios' live-action movies has actually been so lucky, and many characters have been left on the cutting room floor.
Practically every MCU movie has cut moments, deleted scenes and alternate sequences, many of which include characters that unfortunately didn't make it into the final theatrical cut of their project. This trend has even befallen the likes of MCU veterans Tom Hiddleston, Jon Favreau and Jeff Goldblum, while others would have made their MCU debut in these movies. It's very possible that future MCU projects could redeem these lost casting choices, but, for now, they've been lost to the deleted scenes section of many Marvel Studios installments.
10 Naomi RyanGuardians Of The Galaxy (2014)Shortly after the release of the original Guardians of the Galaxy movie in July 2014, director James Gunn spoke to Empire and revealed that British actor Naomi Ryan had originally appeared in the movie, but her scenes had been cut. Ryan is best known for several small roles in British TV shows, including Coronation Street, Doctor Who, Mr Selfridge and From Darkness, among others, so Guardians of the Galaxy could have been her introduction to wider audiences. Gunn noted that she was "one of [his] favorites," though didn't explain more about her role in the movie.
I’m heartless when it comes to cutting my own movies down. I’m not sentimental at all. The only thing that’s hard for me about cutting these movies down is when I have an actor who comes in and does a good job in a role and I have to cut them out of the movie because of some other factor other than their performance, and that to me really sucks... [One was] named Naomi Ryan who was at the end of the movie and just by rotten luck every little bit with her was cut out because we really tightened up the third act so that it’s going, ‘Bam, bam, bam,’ and moving really fast. She got some of her stuff cut so that really sucked and she was one of my favorites as well.
Noting that Naomi Ryan appeared at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy could imply that she would have shown up on Xandar, perhaps as a citizen or even a member of the Nova Corps. This possibility could lead to her return in the MCU's upcoming Nova series, though it's unclear whether Marvel would still choose to revive this decade-old casting choice. Naomi Ryan seemingly hasn't appeared on-screen since 2017, which may make it more unlikely that she's destined for a role in the MCU's future.
9 Tom HiddlestonAvengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)English actor Tom Hiddleston is known to Marvel fans as Loki, the God of Mischief and Thor's adoptive brother, a role that he's now played in nine MCU projects across film and TV. However, director Joss Whedon revealed to MTV in 2015 that this was almost ten projects, as Loki was originally set to appear in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. His scenes "didn't play," however, meaning the trickster was ultimately cut from the already-jam-packed Avengers sequel, though this ultimately was a benefit to the character in subsequent projects.
We did shoot something, but it didn’t play. The movie has so much. It’s so filled. We didn’t want it to feel overstuffed. I really wanted to have Loki in it, but I understood the decision that there were now too many voices in the chorus. At some point the embarrassment of riches is actually embarrassing.
It's unclear exactly what role Tom Hiddleston's Loki would have had in Avengers: Age of Ultron, as the former villain faked his death and assumed the throne of Asgard in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, unbeknownst to his brother. This is where 2017's Thor: Ragnarok found Loki, masquerading as Odin, and this reintroduction would have been ruined had he appeared in Age of Ultron. It's possible Loki could have appeared in Thor's vision cast by the Scarlet Witch, but Idris Elba's Heimdall received this honor, instead.
8 Tony ToddDoctor Strange (2016)The late and legendary Tony Todd is perhaps best known as the titular character in the Candyman film series and as William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise, but he also almost took on a major role in the MCU. In 2017, Tony Todd revealed to CBR that he recorded a voice role for Dormammu in Doctor Strange, only for Marvel Studios to go with the original plan to have Benedict Cumberbatch also voice Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension. Tony Todd's voice would have been perfect for Dormammu, so it's a shame this was changed.
I almost did Doctor Strange. I went in to do a session to play Dormammu. Benedict [Cumberbatch] had already recorded it but the producers wanted another voice just as an alternative. We did a six-hour session and then two weeks before the movie came out they let me know that they went back to the original choice. I say this just to point out to everybody that you’ve got to roll and sway with all these punches and waves that come at you. Did I cry? No. I understood. I was disappointed at the value that I lost - people going, “Dude, are you Dormammu?” [Laughs] But there’ll be another Dormammu.
Tony Todd's recognizable, commanding and powerful voice would have fit the terrifying Dormammu to a tee, and he was seemingly very interested and excited in joining the MCU. Tony Todd has appeared in other superhero projects, most notably as the voice of Zoom in The CW's The Flash series and as the voice of Darkseid in 2020's Justice League Dark: Apokalips War. It would have been fantastic to see Tony Todd bring his incredible voice into the MCU, though it was perhaps a clever move to have Benedict Cumberbatch voice Dormammu as well as portraying Stephen Strange himself.
7 Jona XiaoSpider-Man: Homecoming (2017)Asian-American actor Jona Xiao was reported to have joined the cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming back in 2016 (via Variety), but her role ended up being reduced to that of a deleted scene. Speaking to NBC News in April 2017, Xiao revealed that Marisa Tomei, who played Aunt May in the MCU between Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: No Way Home, lobbied for Xiao to be cast in Homecoming. Her role was supposedly not originally written for an Asian-American actor, though it's unclear how big a role this would have been.
When I was filming, Marisa [Tomei] actually told me she helped cast me in my role. I respected and I admired her and her career for so long. It was great to hear that from her. I was like, ‘Well, thank you. I’m very flattered.’ I remember a couple of my friends, who were really big into the Marvel Comics, they were like, ‘Blink if you’re Silk. Blink if you’re this.’ They would just start naming all these characters. I’d be like, ‘Guys, I’m sorry. I literally can’t say anything.’
More recently, Jona Xiao has been speculated to be taking on a new voice role in Marvel Animation's upcoming Eyes of Wakanda series, which may officially bring her into the MCU's main timeline. Eyes of Wakanda is set to explore the history of Wakanda and vibranium in the MCU, as well as reintroducing the mythology of the Iron Fist, who is connected to the mystical city of K'un-Lun. Jona Xiao could be playing a new character from this otherworldly city, though Marvel Studios hasn't yet confirmed this casting.
6 Jon FavreauAvengers: Infinity War (2018)As well as being Marvel Studios' original director, spearheading 2008's Iron Man, Jon Favreau has also had a prominent acting role in the MCU as Harold "Happy" Hogan, Tony Stark's close confidant and, for a time, Head of Security. Happy Hogan, as revealed by directing duo the Russo brothers to Entertainment Weekly in 2018, originally had a brief role in Avengers: Infinity War, but this was ultimately cut. In fact, Favreau would have appeared alongside Joe Russo, but both roles were cut to trim down the already-lengthy crossover movie.
Joe Russo: There is a deleted scene where Jon Favreau/Happy and I make an appearance in the park. The movie was really long and we were looking for places to pace it up in the opening and unfortunately that was one of the things we had to cut. But I was willing to cut my own cameo in the movie so it shows how much we really needed to get that park scene moving.
Anthony Russo: Yeah. It was also really hard to cut Jon as he is such a funny performer and we loved working with him.
Jon Favreau ended up reprising the role of Happy Hogan in Avengers: Endgame, where he appeared at Tony Stark's funeral and comforted Stark's daughter, Morgan. Happy Hogan has since appeared regularly in the Spider-Man franchise, and even had a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, so Favreau's time with Marvel Studios is not over yet, and he has, in fact, become the longest-running live-action character in the MCU. With Robert Downey Jr. returning in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, it's likely Jon Favreau will also come back in Phase 6.
5 Katherine LangfordAvengers: Endgame (2019)One of the original plans for Avengers: Endgame's ending would have seen Tony Stark travel to the Soul Realm after snapping his fingers with the Infinity Stones, just as Thanos did in Infinity War. While Thanos saw a younger Gamora, however, Stark would have spoken with a grown-up version of his daughter, Morgan Stark, who was played by 13 Reasons Why and Knives Out star Katherine Langford. This scene was ultimately cut, however, with the Russo brothers revealing on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast (via Vanity Fair) that it was one of "too many ideas in an overly complicated movie."
What we realized about it was we didn't feel an emotional association with the adult version of his daughter. So it wasn't ringing to us and resonating with us on an emotional level. The intention was that his future daughter, because these films are dealing with magic, his future daughter forgave him and sort of gave him peace to go. And the idea felt resonant. But it was just too many ideas in an overly complicated movie.
Katherine Langford commented on an Instagram Story in 2022 that "it was an honor" to play Morgan Stark in Avengers: Endgame, even though her scene was cut. She has also voiced her interest in returning as Tony Stark's daughter in a future MCU project, though it's unclear what Marvel's plans are for Morgan Stark, if any, after her appearance as a child in Avengers: Endgame. Since Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU soon, it would be interesting to see his new villain come face-to-face with Iron Man's daughter, though nothing has yet been confirmed.
4 Lexi RabeSpider-Man: No Way Home (2021)While Katherine Langford portrayed a grown-up Morgan Stark in a deleted scene from Avengers: Endgame, it was Lexi Rabe who appeared as the actual Morgan Stark in the theatrical cut of the 2019 crossover movie. Subsequently, it was revealed by Lexi Rabe (or perhaps her publicist/parents) that she was originally supposed to appear alongside Tom Holland in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, but her part was cut. Noting that she "[didn't] mind that [her] part got cut," Rabe still expressed her admiration for No Way Home and her love for her "Marvel fam."
Lexi Rabe's Instagram post suggests that Marvel Studios asked to use her image, which could imply that she didn't actually appear physically in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but rather appeared in a photo or some other secondary means. Alternatively, this may have reunited Lexi Rabe's Morgan Stark with Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan, perhaps with Happy now acting as Morgan's father figure following Tony Stark's demise. It would have been lovely to see Happy Hogan and Morgan Stark's relationship developed further, and Marvel can still make this happen.
Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)Shortly before the July 2022 release of Thor: Love and Thunder, Gorr the God Butcher actor Christian Bale revealed to Prensa Escenario that he had shot scenes with previous MCU stars Peter Dinklage and Jeff Goldblum, but that these sequences had been cut. Peter Dinklage debuted in Avengers: Infinity as the King of the Dwarves, Eitri, while Jeff Golblum had played the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok, and both would have presumably reprised these roles. Gorr may have targeted both on his mission to eradicate the universe's Gods, but this was ultimately omitted from the movie.
I got to work with Peter Dinklage, that's not in the final film. I got to work with him and he's fantastic. I got to work with Jeff Goldblum, he's not in the final film either. As you see, lots of stuff ends up on the cutting room floor, even though it is beautiful, brilliant stuff.
The situation with Lena Headey's cut role in Thor: Love and Thunder is far more complicated, as Variety reported in June 2022 that Headey was being sued for $1.5 million by her former agency, Troika, for lost earnings from Love and Thunder. Variety confirmed that Lena Headey, best known for playing Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, had been cut from Love and Thunder, even though director Taika Waititi had approached her directly. It's unclear who Headey would have played in Thor: Love and Thunder, but it would still be great to see her cast in the MCU's future.
2 Rob McElhenneyDeadpool & Wolverine (2024)In a social media post released in August 2024, shortly after the release of Deadpool & Wolverine that brought his Merc with a Mouth officially into the MCU's timeline, Ryan Reynolds explained cutting Rob McElhenney from the Multiverse Saga movie. McElhenney is the co-owner of Welsh football club Wrexham FC alongside Reynolds, and stars in the Emmy Award-winning docuseries, Welcome to Wrexham, with Reynolds, so it was tough for the Deadpool star to cut his close friend from his MCU debut. However, Reynolds notes that it's sometimes necessary to "kill your darlings."
Rob McElhenney would have appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine as a Minute Man working for the Time Variance Authority who finds himself captured by Cassandra Nova in the Void. McElhenney's TVA soldier appeared in the trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine, where he was seen being devoured by Alioth, the entity that first appeared in Loki season 1. This scene was ultimately removed from Deadpool & Wolverine as it "wasn't working the way we'd originally constructed it," states Reynolds, though he goes on to deliver high praise to his friend nonetheless.
1 Seth RollinsCaptain America: Brave New World (2025)Back in May 2023, set photos from the production of Captain America: Brave New World revealed that professional wrestler and actor Seth Rollins had been cast in the movie, but his role was confirmed to have been cut in the weeks before the sequel's premiere. Rollins would have portrayed a member of the Serpent Society, but director Julius Onah revealed to ComicBook that Giancarlo Esposito's casting as Seth Voelker's Sidewinder made Rollins' role irrelevant. This was a shame, but could still leave the door open for Seth Rollins to appear in the MCU's future.
When you’re taking characters like Serpent Society from publishing, who, as you know, are individuals dressed up as snakes and have snake-adjacent powers, you’re always iterating and trying to figure out the version that totally works best in a movie like this. I love Seth, Seth’s incredible. But as we were evolving and we knew we had an additional photography period, just one that we did early on in the process that’s planned. We were trying to figure out, ‘Hey, who’s somebody that can bring a very specific kind of gravitas that works with this tone?’ And when Giancarlo [Esposito] became available, it was such a no-brainer... fans have been fan-casting him for a long time in the MCU. So it’s really about making sure that all the elements worked in the grounded tone and vision that I have for this film. And as we evolved and iterated, Giancarlo just made sense. And what a blessing to have in this film.
Several members of the Serpent Society appear in Captain America: Brave New World, including Esposito's Sidewinder and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson's Copperhead, so Seth Rollins' character could still have fit into the movie's narrative. Giancarlo Esposito has teased future storylines for the Serpent Society, perhaps even in his very own Disney+ series set in the MCU, so Rollins could bring his former Brave New World character into these upcoming projects. It would be great to see Seth Rollins develop his acting career with a powerful role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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