Marvel Actors Who Deceived Fans About Their Roles

Deadpool & Wolverine featured numerous surprising cameos from former Marvel movie stars, though not all were kept secret during production. Some actors had to lie about their participation in Deadpool 3 before its release, marking yet another instance of actors denying their involvement in major projects.

Read on to discover a list of Marvel actors who have previously lied about being cast in Marvel movies or TV series. Perhaps it’s a lesson that actors, skilled in pretending, aren’t always the most trustworthy when it comes to movie secrets.

Starting with a recent example: Logan star Dafne Keen returned as Laura/X-23 in Deadpool & Wolverine. During her press tour for her role as Jecki Lon in Star Wars: The Acolyte, Keen was repeatedly asked if X-23 would appear in Deadpool 3, to which she consistently lied.

Keen admitted in interviews that she enjoyed keeping it a secret, even finding it humorous to deceive reporters. She also credited another Marvel actor for teaching her the art of misleading the press.

Andrew Garfield, often dubbed the Godfather of Marvel movie liars, famously denied his involvement in Spider-Man: No Way Home during countless interviews. Garfield later explained that such denials were part of Marvel’s strategy to preserve special surprises for fans, comparing it to keeping a surprise party a secret.

Despite his repeated denials, Garfield’s performance and honesty after the fact only endeared him more to Marvel fans.

Captain Marvel star Brie Larson also took part in this trend. In June 2016, she denied being cast as Captain Marvel in an interview with MTV UK. Just a few weeks later, during Comic-Con 2016, Marvel officially announced her as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel.

Larson’s case was notable because she feigned ignorance about the character, leading the interviewer on a wild goose chase about Captain Marvel’s identity. Watch the interview to see why Larson’s acting skills have earned her an Oscar.

Ant-Man star Paul Rudd also deceived the public before his casting was announced. In December 2013, Rudd denied rumors of his casting as Ant-Man. However, just days later, Marvel Studios officially announced him as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, along with Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

Benedict Cumberbatch managed to keep his MCU role a secret in a unique way. During the 2014 Comic-Con Panel for Penguins of Madagascar, he joked about playing “Nurse Normal,” an inverted version of “Doctor Strange.” While it was seen as a joke, by summer 2014, Cumberbatch was heavily considered for the role.

Cumberbatch initially believed scheduling conflicts would prevent him from taking the part. Marvel Studios accommodated these conflicts, enabling him to accept the role officially.

When Jonathan Majors was cast as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, fans suspected he would appear in the Loki Disney+ series. Majors denied any involvement, but the Loki Season 1 finale featured him as Kang’s variant, He Who Remains.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany initially denied reports that she was cast as Jennifer Walter/She-Hulk in mid-October 2020. Despite multiple reports and confirmations, Maslany claimed it was just a rumor until Marvel Studios officially announced her casting in December 2020.

Maslany later admitted she lied, citing uncertainty about what she was allowed to reveal.

Hailee Steinfeld faced logistical challenges that led her to deny her casting as Kate Bishop/Hawkeye despite being offered the role. Due to these challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued to downplay her casting until Marvel officially announced it in December 2020, over a year after initial reports.

Source: ComicBook