10 Marvel Actors Who Admitted Their Regrets About The MCU

Working with the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t always such a sunny experience, as has been noted by many of the franchise’s stars over the years. Responsible for catapulting many actors into celebrity status overnight while fueling the careers of established stars to ever greater heights, a role in the MCU is often seen as a professional blessing. But working on MCU movies isn’t always easy, and many starring performers have expressed some regrets regarding their stake in the series over time.

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Regret regarding the MCU can come in many different forms. Even some of the MCU’s most high-profile actors have expressed some degree of anguish that their movies or career didn’t pan out exactly as envisioned, even if they’re grateful overall to be a part of the franchise. Other one-off actors are more openly disdainful of their time at Marvel Studios, openly disparaging the movies they were in and the series as a whole.

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10 Benedict Cumberbatch

Wishes he was more involved with the fans

In many instances, actors’ regrets about their time at Marvel can be quite low-stakes affairs. By all accounts, Benedict Cumberbatch has largely enjoyed his time as the mystical hero Doctor Strange, who will be one of the few active Avengers going into Phase 6. But there was one once-in-a-lifetime opportunity the British actor missed coming out of the climactic premiere of Avengers: Infinity War that Cumberbatch has since expressed regret over.

In an interview with Uproxx, Benedict Cumberbatch reflected on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most groundbreaking crossover film, recalling what his career was like at that point in time. He expressed remorse over not having the time to sneak into theaters to see audiences’ reactions to the shocking death of his character along with a whole host of other beloved heroes, perishing to Thanos’ snap. Between the press tour and wanting to see his family during a brief break before beginning production on a new TV show, Cumberbatch sadly missed out on the powerful theater experience.

9 Chris Evans

Had some early hesitations about his MCU role

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It’s hard to believe that a star as central to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Chris Evans has ever had much hesitation regarding the series. After all, for many years, Evans’ thoughtful portrayal of Steve Rogers/Captain America was one of the lynchpins holding the franchise together as a franchise character, leaving a lasting legacy on the series even after his exit in Avengers: Endgame. But early on, the MCU’s success wasn’t as easy of a thing to appreciate, and Evans wasn’t above having some doubts about his new career.

In fact, Chris Evans initially declined Marvel Studios’ offer to become Captain America (via The Playlist). The actor has reflected on his thoughts during the filming of Captain America: The First Avenger, describing a panic that he had signed his life away making simple popcorn fare. Luckily, these doubts didn’t last long as the quality of the early MCU became obvious to Chris Evans, alongside general audiences, realizing just how great the films he was appearing in were becoming.

8 Chris Hemsworth

Has acknowledged the negative impacts of “comedy Thor”

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One issue with characterization the Marvel Cinematic Universe has battled in recent films has centered around the God of Thunder. The MCU’s “comedy Thor” problems began with Thor: Ragnarok, which took the Thor movies in a far more comedic direction. The character has only become more of a flanderized version of his previous self in the films that followed, undermining his importance as a powerful Avenger and his fantasy drama roots. Thor’s actor Chris Hemsworth has since publicly reflected on these troubling developments.

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In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth spoke out about the deterioration of Thor’s character in his most recent crop of Marvel appearances. The Australian superstar admitted to getting “caught up in the improv and the wackiness“, and that he “became a parody of myself.” It’s nice to see that someone so pivotal to the Thor films has been able to openly understand what went wrong with Thor’s degradation into a wacky himbo with no sense of earnestness.

7 Scarlett Johansson

Would’ve liked to explore Black Widow’s origins more thoroughly

Black Widow was quite late to the game when it came to solo projects for the founding Avengers members. Confusingly, Black Widow’s titular film only released after the character’s death in Avengers: Endgame, retroactively explaining some of the character’s early adventures, dismantling the insidious Black Widow program that turned her into a remorseless assassin. Scarlett Johansson herself has since lamented only being able to see a small window of Natasha Romanoff’s pre-Avengers career.

Speaking to MTV UK, Scarlett Johansson revealed her Black Widow regrets. The superstar actress explained that she would’ve liked to see more of Black Widow’s earlier years, particularly her history with fellow Avenger Hawkeye, whose presence was only lightly implied in Black Widow. It’s hard not to agree with Johansson over the MCU’s missed opportunities in devling further into Natasha Romanoff’s legacy.

6 Idris Elba

Wasn’t a fan of his filming experience

While many MCU actors are quite polite over their initial grievances or regrets in their Marvel movie appearances, others are quite a bit more negative regarding their experience in the franchise. One of the most outspoken critics of the MCU filming experience has been Idris Elba, who played the Asgardian guardian Heimdall in the Thor series. Killed off in Avengers: Infinity War, Heimdall’s death was likely nothing but relief for Idris Elba, who seemed to have wholly regretted signing on in the first place.

Particularly, the filming of Thor: The Dark World was a sore spot for Elba. Elba described the process of filming the Thor sequel as “torture” (via The Indian Express), especially when coming fresh off the set of his hit biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Between the blue screen sound stages, costumes, and harness work, Idris Elba seems to have regretted his participation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe entirely.

5 Tom Holland

Could’ve reached out more to the previous Spider-Man

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Getting cast as the next Spider-Man at a relatively young age catapulted Tom Holland into stardom early on in his career, becoming the third actor to represent the beloved wall-crawling hero in a major film series. Holland’s take on Peter Parker is highly acclaimed, often referred to as the best on-screen version of the character. For all the glory and accolades Spider-Man has gotten him, there is one major step in becoming the friendly neighborhood superhero Tom Holland missed that he still openly expresses regret about.

In statements to The Hollywood Reporter, Tom Holland lamented the fact that he never reached out to the previous Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield, after getting the role. At just 19, Holland blamed his naïveté as a teen for being the reason he neglected to get some advice from fellow Spider-Man and English actor, who callously had his third feature film canceled not long before Holland’s MCU debut. At leas Garfield was able to get his last hurrah as the character in theaters in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

4 Christopher Eccelston

Wasn’t a fan of excessive makeup

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Christopher Eccelston is best known for portraying the ninth Doctor in the esteemed British sci-fi television series Doctor Who. However, he also had a quite recognizable role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Malekith the Dark Elf in Thor: The Dark World. Considering the second Thor film’s lowly place among even fans of the series, it’s no wonder that Eccelston walked away with some regrets about his experience.

Being a non-human character, Eccelston was subjected to long hours in the makeup chair during his shoot days as Malekith. The actor didn’t mince words about his long hours in the makeup chair, which he felt the MCU wasn’t forthcoming about when he first signed on (via Digital Spy). Admitting to have taken the job simply for a paycheck, few participants in the MCU have expressed as much regret over their appearance as Eccelston.

3 Terrence Howard

Bristled over his co-stars bigger salary

One of the many times the MCU has recast a major character, Done Cheadle’s James Rhodes replaced Terrence Howard in the first Iron Man. Cheadle has gone on to be a fantastic presence in the series as War Machine, but the previous actor slated to play the pilot-turned-superhero hasn’t hid his bitterness towards the franchise. Terrence Howard clearly seems to regret his MCU involvement, simply stating “F*** ’em” when asked about his potential to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

It’s easy to see how Howard could have come to this conclusion considering his history with the MCU. Taking a pay cut in Iron Man just so Robert Downey Jr. could play the lead role, the success of the first film actually worked against Howard when it came time for a sequel. After his own pay was cut to give Robert Downey Jr. a larger portion of the budget despite this sacrifice, Howard understandably walked away from the Marvel banner with negative feelings.

2 Mickey Rourke

Wishes the final edit of Iron Man 2 was kinder to him

Compared to the roaring success of Iron Man, Iron Man 2 is widely considered to be one of the few outright duds of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first phase. This is thanks in no small part to Mickey Rourke’s underwhelming villain, Whiplash, who isn’t given much to do throughout the slapdash action movie. Rourke himself has expressed just as much frustration with his character’s treatment as fans have.

In one interview, Rourke was forthcoming about his experience working with Marvel Studios, expressing his desire to deepen the character of Whiplash with more layers (via Complex). Sadly, the final edit of the film left much of his development on the cutting room floor, resulting in what Rourke calls a “Russian a complete murderous revenging bad guy“. Considering the amount of work Rourke put into developing the antagonist, the final result of Iron Man 2 left him with some regrets.

1 Christian Bale

Was underwhelmed by the MCU production process

Already comic book royalty as the leading man of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, Christian Bale’s appearance in the MCU may have once seemed like an obvious recipe for success. Despite his own strength as an actor, Gorr the God Butcher wasn’t enough to carry Thor: Love and Thunder across the finish line as a critically admired film. Yet it was the production process itself that soured Christian Bale on the Marvel Studios process, unenthused with the nature of his work.

In an interview with GQ, Christian Bale described the set of Thor: Love and Thunder as “monotony.” Usually one to dive deep into method acting, willing to transform his physique to great lengths to fit a role, it says a lot that Bale admitted to not doing the same with Gorr the God Butcher, unimpressed by how the green screen sets of Thor: Love and Thunder blended together. Despite how many big stars the series has been able to accommodate, the MCU wasn’t able to make a fan of Christian Bale.