At this point, superhero movies have become so ubiquitous in the pop culture zeitgeist that it might be easier to make a list of actors who haven’t appeared in a comic book adaptation yet. Everyone from rising up and comers to Oscar winners have lent their talents to the Marvel and/or DC universes and will continue to do so. All signs are pointing to Denzel Washington having a role in the upcoming Black Panther 3, for instance. Yet, there are still some notable A-listers who haven’t starred in a superhero movie. This can be chalked up to a variety of reasons. Some actors are interested in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are just waiting for the call. Others have had the opportunity to become part of the franchise but turned it down.
Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey falls into the latter category. Initially making a name for himself as a rom-com leading man, he experienced “the McConaissance” in the early 2010s with a string of well-received films that included the critically acclaimed Dallas Buyers Club (for which he won that Oscar) and Christopher Nolan’s hit sci-fi blockbuster Interstellar. With his career reaching new heights, making the jump to the MCU felt like a logical next step for McConaughey. However, when James Gunn came calling, McConaughey declined.
Matthew McConaughey Turned Down a Role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
After Guardians of the Galaxy was a massive hit, Marvel Studios quickly moved forward on a sequel. Looking to tell an emotionally powerful story, Gunn aimed high when casting new roles for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He reportedly offered McConaughey the chance to play the villain. Those reports didn’t mention a specific character name, but it’s now reasonable to assume the part in question was Ego, Star-Lord’s father. Though McConaughey enjoyed the first Guardians of the Galaxy, he turned the role down, paving the way for Kurt Russell to be cast as Ego.
McConaughey would later explain his decision, saying he would have felt like “an amendment” on the Marvel sequel. “What I saw was ‘It’s successful, and now we’ve got room to make a colorful part for another big-name actor,’” he said. McConaughey found the prospect of starring in Stephen King adaptation The Dark Tower more appealing because he could be “the author of the Man in Black” on the big screen. While becoming part of the MCU is something most actors would dream of, McConaughey’s stance is somewhat understandable. From his perspective, The Dark Tower felt like the more creatively satisfying project because he could craft his character in his image and put a personal stamp on things. On Guardians of the Galaxy 2, McConaughey felt like he would have been just a small cog in a much larger machine.
Ego is a very important character in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, so the film would have been quite different with a different actor in the role. For starters, McConaughey is only 10 years older than Chris Pratt; Russell is 28 years Pratt’s senior, so the Ego/Star-Lord dynamic would have had a different feel with McConaughey. The characters might have come across more as peers than father/son. And though McConaughey would undoubtedly have been a charismatic presence as Ego, the meta angle of Russell’s casting would have been lost. Star-Lord was a child of the ’80s, so it made sense for the star of ’80s classics like The Thing and Escape from New York to play his father. In the MCU, Star-Lord told people David Hasselhoff was his dad, but Russell certainly fits that image as well. He’s the kind of person Star-Lord would look up to with childlike awe and wonder.
As fun as it might have been to see McConaughey play Ego, it’s safe to say Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 turned out just fine with Russell on board. Like its predecessor, the sequel earned positive reviews (85% Rotten Tomatoes score) and was an even bigger box office hit ($863.7 million worldwide gross). The same cannot be said for The Dark Tower, which was a widely panned flop that never spawned any follow-ups despite featuring McConaughey and Idris Elba. He might have been better off taking on the role of Ego, though it’s worth wondering if Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is as well-received with a different actor in that part.
Matthew McConaughey Still Hasn’t Made His (Proper) MCU Debut
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
To be fair, McConaughey does have one MCU credit on his resume now. He provided the voice of Cowboypool, one of the many Deadpool variants from across the multiverse. That was a fun cameo in a movie full of them, but fans are still waiting for McConaughey to take on a starring role in a Marvel movie. Though it’s been a while since he headlined a massively successful feature, McConaughey remains a popular and recognizable star who’s already proven he can carry a big-budget tentpole (Interstellar). Now that he’s dipped his toes in the MCU pond, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Marvel try to snag him for a more significant role down the line.
Though Marvel is looking to scale back on output now, there are still plenty of new movies and TV shows in various stages of development. McConaughey could theoretically join one of those, however, the biggest hurdle to clear might be finding the right situation for the actor. His feelings might have changed in the decade since, but it’s clear from his past comments that McConaughey values very specific types of projects and roles. Someone of his stature (justifiably) wants to feel as if they are “the author” of their character. That may not be entirely possible within the fabric of the MCU. Filmmakers are given a certain amount of creative freedom to an extent, but everything still needs to fit together in the larger tapestry of the franchise. It might prove difficult for McConaughey to shake his “amendment” mindset.
On paper, joining a major franchise like the MCU sounds like a great opportunity for an actor, but that grind isn’t appealing for everyone. Even those who have been part of the Marvel machine have expressed mixed feelings about it in the past; Scarlett Johansson remarked there were times where she felt more like a device to move the overarching plot along than a fully developed character. McConaughey is already a major star; he arguably doesn’t have much to gain career wise from headlining a Marvel movie. He could be wary about hopping on board because he doesn’t want to feel like a “device” himself. He’d rather focus on “smaller” projects he finds a bit more creatively fulfilling.
The trick could be to pair McConaughey with a gifted director who has a unique vision for what a Marvel movie can be. Denzel Washington is as accomplished as any actor working today, but he’s interested in joining Black Panther 3 because he wants to work with Ryan Coogler before he retires from acting. McConaughey has worked with respected auteurs like Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, and Richard Linklater throughout his career, so he seems to be interested in collaborating with distinct voices. Of course, Gunn was one of the most distinct filmmaking voices Marvel had under its umbrella for years, so if McConaughey turned him down, there’s a chance Marvel just isn’t for him.
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