Two Marvel Stars Almost Played Captain America Before Finding Their True Roles

Casting choices in superhero films often shape entire franchises, and the quest for the actor to portray Captain America is a prime example. Before Chris Evans donned the iconic star-spangled suit, Marvel Studios explored a surprisingly extensive list of candidates, each bringing their unique flair to the audition process.

This search reportedly came down to the wire multiple times, with casting director Sarah Halley Finn evaluating actors from various corners of Hollywood before ultimately selecting Evans. Interestingly, two of those auditioning hopefuls became well-known faces in the MCU, albeit not in the roles they initially sought.

As shared on The Brandon Davis Show, both Wilson Bethel and Chris Pratt auditioned for the role of Steve Rogers but did not secure it. Bethel came remarkably close, undergoing several rounds of screen tests and even trying on the suit before the role went to Evans.

Bethel has recounted the extent of his audition process, detailing meetings with ‘Captain America: The First Avenger‘ director Joe Johnston, reviewing storyboards, and genuinely believing he was on the path to landing the role. He has described losing the part as one of the toughest moments of his career, even though he eventually found success in a different Marvel project.

Instead of becoming Captain America, Bethel later joined the franchise as Bullseye in Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’, where his performance was widely acclaimed for its unsettling intensity alongside Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. This role has gained further significance since ‘Daredevil’ was integrated into the official MCU canon, giving Bethel’s initial near-miss a unique sense of closure.

Pratt’s journey took an equally unexpected turn. At the time of his audition for Captain America, he was primarily known for his role as the lovable Andy Dwyer on ‘Parks and Recreation,’ which made him an unlikely candidate for Marvel’s most patriotic hero.

Despite not landing the role, Pratt’s audition left a lasting impression on Finn, who remembered him when a different opportunity arose. “After that, I was paying attention,” Finn recalled, noting how the audition paved the way for what would become one of the MCU’s most notable casting successes.

That attention proved beneficial when Finn advocated for Pratt to meet with director James Gunn for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ despite Gunn’s initial reservations. “I was stuck on him,” Finn explained, highlighting her determination to convince Gunn that Pratt was the right fit for Peter Quill.

This persistence led to one of the more surprising success stories in modern blockbuster casting, with Pratt headlining three ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ films and multiple ‘Avengers’ entries as Star-Lord. It serves as a reminder that Marvel’s casting process is often more complex than fans might think, with actors frequently encountering one another through auditions that don’t always yield the expected outcomes.

Bethel and Pratt were not the only notable names in that casting pool, as actors like John Krasinski and Wyatt Russell also auditioned for the role of Captain America before finding their places within the franchise. In hindsight, it’s difficult to envision either Bethel or Pratt in Evans’s shoes, especially since their eventual roles seem so perfectly aligned with their on-screen personas.

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