THE MARVELS Wanted to Cast George Clooney as a Major Marvel Hero Only to Kill Him Off
The Marvels went through a wild road before finally landing in theaters in 2023, and a new insider report adds another fascinating “what could’ve been” to the movie’s complicated history.
At one point, Marvel Studios reportedly considered casting George Clooney as a major Marvel hero in the Captain Marvel sequel.
The film arrived during the closing stretch of the Hollywood strikes and never really had a fair shot at building momentum. Even with mostly positive reviews and a 62% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Marvels stalled at $206.1 million worldwide.
That’s a tough outcome for a follow-up to a billion-dollar movie that also connected directly to fan-favorite Disney+ series like WandaVision and Ms. Marvel.
A lot has already been said about why the movie struggled. The marketing didn’t sell it as a must-see event, and with the cast unable to promote the film, awareness stayed low. How all of that added up to such a steep drop-off is still puzzling, especially considering how important the movie could end up being to the MCU’s future.
Much like Captain America: Brave New World, the film reportedly went through extensive changes before, during, and after production. Even so, the story is positioned to matter moving forward, particularly with Monica Rambeau stranded on Earth-10005, a universe tied directly to the X-Men.
Now comes the Clooney reveal. Insider @MyTimeToShineH shared a scrapped early idea that sounds like classic Marvel stunt casting:
"The original plan for The Marvels was to cast a well-known name (they were looking at Clive Owen and George Clooney) to play a big Marvel hero from the comics who we think will have a big role in the movie, but then dies at the end of the first act. That was scrapped."
We don’t know what character that would’ve been, but fans have already been speculating. One of the most popular guesses floating around online is Mar-Vell, the original male Captain Marvel from the comics.
Dropping an A-list star into the opening act, only to pull the rug out from under audiences early, would’ve been a bold way to grab attention. It also would’ve given the trailers a serious boost, even if the character wasn’t long for the MCU.
Director Nia DaCosta has been candid about how challenging the experience was. Reflecting on the process, she explained: "They had a date, and they were prepping certain things, and you just have to lean into the process hardcore.
“The way they make those films is very different to the way, ideally, I would make a film, so you just have to lean into the process and hope for the best. The best didn’t happen this time, but you kind of have to trust in the machine."
She also acknowledged how much the movie changed from her original vision: "It was interesting because there was a certain point when I was like, 'Ok, this isn’t going to be the movie that I pitched or even the first version of the movie that I shot,' so I realised that this is now an experience and it’s learning curve and it really makes you stronger as a filmmaker in terms of your ability to navigate."
As things stand, there’s no indication that The Marvels will get a direct sequel. Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau haven’t been officially confirmed for the next Avengers films, though it’d be surprising if they didn’t show up in Avengers: Doomsday or whatever follows.
Carol Danvers’ future in the MCU seems more likely to continue as part of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes rather than headlining another solo adventure. Still, knowing that Marvel once considered George Clooney for a major hero role makes you wonder how different things might’ve felt if that version of the movie had actually happened.