Some reporters say that superhero fatigue is killing the genre, but the billions at the box office suggest otherwise. There's no way that it's dying, especially with Marvel currently crushing the cinematic juggernaut known as Star Wars and even more comic-book properties receiving the green light in recent times. It's the golden age of comic-book movies (even if we still fight about cape stuff on the internet like it's World War 3), and we're living the dream that many fans thought would never happen in a million lifetimes.

With so many superhero films around (and more to come), it has become highly probable that every big-name actor in Hollywood will play a comic-book character at some point. That said, it's interesting to look back at previous films and see where certain castings could've changed things had they happened the way they were envisioned. While some of the changes in personnel might've improved the overall films, others not so much. Heck, in some cases, the parts would've changed the actors' career trajectory and cemented them as A-listers. So, join us as we take a look back at actors who nearly secured coveted roles in superhero films, but lost out on them for some reason or another.

15 JOSH BROLIN (BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE)

When the news dropped that Warner Bros. needed a new Dark Knight for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, a host of actors threw their name into the ring. It's a coveted role, after all, so a lot of big names were linked to it. There are numerous rumors about who the studio met with – and offered the role to – but one definite candidate was Josh Brolin. Speaking to Yahoo!, Brolin confirmed that he'd met with Zack Snyder for the part. "Me and Zack had a conversation about it, and there were several reasons why we said it wasn't the best idea on both sides. I had mine and Zack had his...

"To me, it's not about being cool and all that stuff. Looking back over your shoulder and saying that one line everyone’s going to remember? Maybe I could do that. But I do roles that aren’t necessarily all that cool. All my stuff is a little off," he said. Since then, Brolin has mentioned how he's happy that he didn't get the part. Considering his success as Thanos and Cable in Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 respectively, he certainly shouldn't be shedding any tears about missed opportunities.

14 JASON MOMOA (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY)

If you're looking for an actor to portray a muscular hero, Jason Momoa is your go-to guy. It's probably because his muscles have muscles, and he never missed leg day at the gym. After having played Conan and Khal Drogo, it should come as no surprise that he was approached to play Drax the Destroyer in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy. Turns out that Momoa turned down Marvel, though.

Chatting to Zap2It, he said, "Dave [Bautista] is perfect for that role, for Drax. It didn't really fit in my time because I've done so many things where I don't say much and I'm colored up and I have my shirt off again. I made a conscious choice to turn down some movies that were action-based to direct Road to Paloma so people could see that side… It's not that it's not a good role; it just wasn't the right thing. I was on Stargate: Atlantis for four years playing a similar character called Ronon, who was an alien who didn't say much and grunted. I've been there and done that, whether people have seen it or not. You want to stretch." Well, Momoa really stretched it by playing the shirtless Aquaman in the DCEU.

13 WILLIAM BALDWIN (BATMAN FOREVER)

When Michael Keaton vacated the cape and cowl for Batman Forever, director Joel Schumacher had four picks for his replacement. One of the names mooted was William Baldwin; however, Schumacher decided to go with Val Kilmer – arguably the bigger star at the time – instead. Kilmer, though, departed after a single film and Schumacher was left in the same sticky situation for 1997's Batman & Robin. Once again, Baldwin's name came up in conversations for the movie and he thought he'd actually nabbed the coveted part of the Caped Crusader.

Speaking to IESB, Baldwin said, "And that Friday afternoon, I thought I was playing Batman – and then Monday morning, the headlines in the trades said that George Clooney had gotten the part." As it turns out someone had failed to tell him that Clooney had secured the role. Hollywood, right? Knowing what he does now, Baldwin should count his blessings as Batman & Robin is widely renowned as the one that killed the Batman franchise for Warner Bros. in the '90s. Baldwin did eventually get his chance to portray the Dark Knight – in a more unconventional way – as he voiced the character in the animated movie Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

12 STUART TOWNSEND (THOR)

Stuart Townsend has made a career out of being kicked off movies. After securing the gig of Aragon in The Lord of the Rings, he was unceremoniously canned for Viggo Mortensen four days into production because he didn't look old enough for the part. It's still something that Townsend holds a grudge about to this day. However, the bad luck lightning struck twice as he got the boot on Kenneth Branagh's Thor. Worst part about it? It wasn't even for one of the leading roles. Townsend was originally picked to be Fandral in the MCU film, yet he was dropped because of "creative differences."

If you follow Hollywood closely, that's usually a term used when something major went down but either party can't call the other names in the press. According to an anonymous source, Townsend was given his marching orders after showing up six hours late to a screen test. What's interesting to note is that Josh Dallas was quickly announced as his replacement, which indicates that this might've been in the pipeline for a while. Townsend is undoubtedly a talented performer, but it seems like his reputation precedes his actual abilities nowadays – something that's done him more harm than good.

11 MATT BOMER (SUPERMAN: FLYBY)

Before Superman Returns and Man of Steel, numerous Superman scripts had been shopped around. One of the most popular was Superman: Flyby, written by J.J. Abrams and set to be directed by Brett Ratner. Surprisingly, the film actually made some headway and casting calls took place. Actor Matt Bomer revealed to Josh Horowitz on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast that he'd actually secured the role. "I had screen tested with Amy Adams in the tights. I think at that session it was Paul Walker, myself and... I can't remember who the other person was. Some other big star. Thankfully [Brett Ratner] chose me for the project. Of all the parts! I mean, talk about just like... Brendan Fraser was the other person! It was a very lengthy process to get the role. I think it was three months," he said.

Unfortunately, nothing is guaranteed in Hollywood and the project fell apart in favor of Superman Returns, which featured a certain Henry Cavill unsuccessfully auditioning for the lead role. Bomer added that he "went in on a cattle call and it sort of evolved from there... It was a month of, 'OK, it looks like this is going to happen,' and then it slowly fell apart. It's OK. I have no regrets about it."

10 ALAN RITCHSON (SHAZAM!)

At a point, everyone and their grandmother thought Alan Ritchson was set to be the titular character in Shazam! – if you'd seen him as Thad Castle in Blue Mountain State, you'd understand why this was a casting made in matchmaking heaven. Ritchson had already tasted DC success by portraying Arthur Curry/Aquaman in Smallville, so he was well-acquainted with the universe and its characters. Thus, it made complete sense to put him in this role and the rumors just wouldn't go away. Ritchson had fun with the fans as well, and often hinted that he might be taking the role. In 2016 he responded in the affirmative that he was playing the character.

A year later, when a person tweeted that Shazam in DC Film's stock artwork looked exactly like Ritchson, he responded with a tongue-in-cheek endorsement. Then, he also shared some fan art of him as the popular superhero. Alas, it wasn't meant to be and the part went to Zachary Levi instead (still a great choice, mind you). Ritchson did secure himself another DC gig, though, as he was cast as Hawk in the forthcoming Titans TV series. The question is, did something happen that prevented him from portraying the character because Shazam in the stock artwork was a dead ringer for him?

9 BRAD PITT (DEADPOOL 2)

Okay, we're cheating a little bit here, because Brad Pitt did have a small, practically invisible (he-he), role in Deadpool 2, but that wasn't the part he was approached for in the beginning. As the story goes, he was in the running to play Nathan Summers/Cable, which ultimately went to Josh Brolin in the end. Speaking to ComicBook.com, director David Leitch confirmed what transpired. "We had a great meeting with Brad, he was incredibly interested in the property. Things didn't work out schedule-wise. He's a fan, and we love him, and I think he would've made an amazing Cable."

Pitt, though, did cameo in the film as the Vanisher in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. Leitch confirmed to Vanity Fair how this superstar cameo came about. "We left the door open and asked him, 'If there's something else down the line, would you take the call?' He said yes. So we came up with this [Vanisher] idea, and Ryan [Reynolds] reached out and asked, 'Would you be interested?' And he said yes, and was a great sport. He came out to play and was up for anything." Bless Pitt for being up for the gag, because most A-listers would've frowned upon it.

8 SEAN YOUNG (BATMAN)

Sean Young's involvement with Tim Burton's Batman films is well-documented. Obviously, everyone knows about the time when she rocked up on the Warner movie lot, dressed as Catwoman, campaigning for the role in Batman Returns. What many people fail to remember, though, is that Young received a raw deal with 1989's Batman. Young had landed the part of Vicki Vale, but she broke her arm during rehearsals and was swiftly replaced by Kim Basinger. Nowadays, film-makers would've shot around the injury and made it work, and Young believes the same could've happened back then, despite the studio claiming the scale of the production wouldn't have allowed it.

Chatting to The Hollywood Reporter, she said, "If [producer] Jon Peters had wanted me I think they could have shot around it. I think he just had a [thing] for Kim Basinger. He had a good excuse to let me go and hire her. It hurt me, but that's show business." While Basinger did the role justice and became iconic in the Caped Crusader's folklore, it would've been interesting to see what Young could've brought to the part. After all, Burton must've seen something special in her audition and that's the reason he cast her initially.

7 JOEL KINNAMAN (THOR)

Before Chris Hemsworth was cast as the God of Thunder in Thor, he was in contention for the part with his brother Liam, Tom Hiddleston (who went on to portray Loki), and Joel Kinnaman. Speaking about the casting to Moviefone, Kinnaman said, "Yeah. I was living in Sweden and working in Sweden in theater and doing small Swedish movies, and then all of a sudden they threw a wide casting net for Thor and they asked pretty much everyone that had ever been onstage to put himself on tape, which I didn't even know what that was when they asked me to do that. Put myself on tape, what does that mean? Oh, film myself – I'd never done that before.

"So I did that and I sort of got into the running of Thor. Actually I put myself on tape and sent it off and didn't hear anything about it. And then two or three weeks later my sister tells me, 'Hey, we just had The Guardian in our office and there's a picture of you and three other guys they said are the runners-up to play Thor.' I was like, 'Oh really? Nobody told me about it.' So Thor and [Mad Max: Fury Road] were the two first American projects that I auditioned for and I got pretty far on both of them."

6 MATT DAMON (THE DARK KNIGHT)

Imagine being an actor and thinking back on the time you rejected Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Well, that's what Matt Damon has to live with every single day of his life. Even though he's now ventured into comic-book movies with cameos in Thor: Ragnarok and Deadpool 2, he could've secured himself a spot in history with the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face in Nolan's record-breaking masterpiece. Speaking to MTV News, Damon said, "I couldn't – there was a scheduling thing. I never spoke to Chris Nolan. I'm a big Chris Nolan fan, but I never spoke to him."

Additionally, he complimented Aaron Eckhart for his portrayal of Gotham's District Attorney. "Look, Aaron is a great actor, so the movie didn't suffer for it. Every now and then you get one and you can't do it." Still, with his BFF, Ben Affleck, stalking around in the cape and cowl (for now), you can't help but wonder if Damon wishes he'd taken the part when it was available. It's unlikely that Two-Face will be revisited so soon after The Dark Knight, so maybe there's another part in the DCEU waiting for him. Many fans have suggested him for the role of Tommy Elliot/Hush, and we agree that it would be an excellent casting.

5 ROBIN WILLIAMS (BATMAN)

Thanks to Warner Bros. execs being a bunch of Dodgy McDodgers, we were robbed of the opportunity of seeing Robin Williams in a Batman film. If you're unaware, Williams was a big fan of the character and wanted to appear as a villain in the movies. So, what's the story here? Well, when plans for 1989's Batman began, Tim Burton eyed Jack Nicholson for the part of the Joker. Nicholson, though, was unsure about it, because he's Jack Nicholson and can choose to do whatever the heck he wants, so do not question him about it.

The studio, being the Sneaky Steve it is, decided to bait him by offering the gig to Williams, since this technique seemed to rile up actors in the past. Williams, of course, accepted the role and was eager to play the Clown Prince of Crime. When Nicholson found out that Williams wanted in, he immediately changed his mind and requested the part. Naturally, the studio and director got what they wanted, and brought Nicholson on board. Williams was reportedly so livid with the studio that he rejected the opportunity to play the Riddler in Batman Forever. Furthermore, he didn't star in any Warner Bros. productions until he received an apology for being used as bait.

4 BILLY CRUDUP (HULK)

Billy Crudup is no stranger to the superhero game, having portrayed Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen and Henry Allen in Justice League. However, he almost had a much larger (in both senses of the word) part in another comic-book movie. Back in the early 2000s, he was set to be Bruce Banner/Hulk in Ang Lee's Hulk. Lee was a big fan of his, and there was even concept art drawn up of Crudup as the Hulk. Truth be told, some of the images look a bit ridiculous and we might've dodged a CGI-laced bullet there. Still, you can't help but wonder what could've been with Crudup in the role instead of Eric Bana.

It's unlikely that Crudup's casting would've changed the tone of the film all too much, as Lee's Hulk was a mature superhero affair that tackled the many layers and emotions of the dual character. It's not the most "fun" comic-book movie ever made, but it was a precursor for more serious films like The Dark Knight to be made. Maybe it's time to look at how Hulk could've been a monumental film had it been released later on. It truly was a picture way ahead of its time.

3 JOSH HARTNETT (BATMAN BEGINS)

There was a time when Josh Hartnett's name was on everyone's lips. He was an in-demand and hot, young actor. Naturally, it should be expected that he was offered a big role, such as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins, but he turned it down in favor of another gig at the time. In a conversation with AP about the Batman role, Hartnett said, "Of course, it wasn't about not doing studio films. It was just what I was interested in was the film that I did instead. It was a tiny film about a guy with Asperger Syndrome falling in love with a woman with Asperger Syndrome. A true story; it ended up being called Mozart and the Whale.

"It was just a question more of what I wanted to do as opposed to what I didn't want to do and I always try to look at things that way." Hartnett does express regret for turning down the role, not because he wanted to be the Dark Knight but for other reasons. "In that instance, I think my regret mostly was not forming a friendship or the creative partnership with that director. More than I was not doing Batman," he added.

2 EMILY BLUNT (IRON MAN 2)

Emily Blunt has been linked to numerous superhero roles over the years – more recently her name was mentioned for the titular role in Captain Marvel. However, two roles that she was certainly offered were that of Black Widow in Iron Man 2 and Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. Speaking to Vulture, Blunt confirmed that she'd been offered the two roles but wasn't too keen to elaborate on it. "Yeah, but it was never the right time, really, and it just didn't work out scheduling-wise with those two. It's always a difficult thing to talk about, because it's not fair to the actresses who ended up playing them, you know? It just wasn't the right time."

She did add that she'd consider them again if they were up for grabs. Yet, we think she might be better suited for the role of Sue Storm/Invisible Woman if and when the Fantastic Four join the MCU (it's only a matter of time, folks). If her husband, John Krasinski, portrays Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, then all will be right in the world of Marvel's First Family. Finally, we'll be able to wipe away the putrid stench of Josh Trank's Fantastic Four from our minds.

1 JAKE GYLLENHAAL (SPIDER-MAN 2)

If you believe vlogger John Campea, Jake Gyllenhaal was director Matt Reeves' number-one pick to play the Caped Crusader in The Batman. However, this isn't the first time that his name has been linked to a superhero role. Gyllenhaal was David S. Goyer's choice to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins; plus, he actually accepted the part of Spider-Man in the early 2000s. As it turns out, Sony got fed up with Tobey Maguire at one point and was ready to replace him with Gyllenhaal.

After the success of 2002's Spider-Man, Maguire wanted a more lucrative contract and became a bit of a diva in the process. The studio wanted to shoot the next film but the star wasn't budging. Dragging his feet, Maguire claimed he'd hurt his back in a previous film and wouldn't be able to do the stunt work required. Sam Raimi, Laura Ziskin, and Avi Arad called his bluff and met with Gyllenhaal, offering him the lead role in Spider-Man 2. Gyllenhaal accepted it and even got into peak shape to portray the Web-Head. When Maguire found out about his replacement, he rushed back to Sony and apologized for his behavior. The studio accepted his groveling and gave him back the Spidey suit, while Gyllenhaal only received a new summer bod for all his efforts.