Marvel Actors Who Seemingly Thought They Joined The MCU (But Didn't)
It's easy to see how any actor would be thrilled to be part of a Marvel Studios production. Since 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not only packed movie theaters to the brim and broken box office records but has also given newfound stardom to such performers as Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, and Tom Holland, to name a few.
Following "Avengers: Endgame," the MCU has been exploring the multiverse concept, and things have gotten jumbled. With past cinematic X-Men iterations joining the fray in films such as "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "The Marvels," along with teases that Sony's Spider-Man universe will have further connections to the franchise after 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home," it may be tricky for the average viewer to decipher what recent Marvel-related projects are part of the MCU and what isn't. And fans aren't the only ones perplexed.
In their rush of excitement from being cast as a Marvel character, several actors have eagerly — and erroneously — claimed that they would be fighting crime alongside the likes of Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain America, and Thor. Here are a few of these stars and their awkward experiences learning that not everything with the name Marvel has to do with the MCU.
Dakota Johnson
"Fifty Shades of Grey" star Dakota Johnson headlines "Madame Web," the fourth spin-off of Sony's Spider-Man Universe that also includes the Venom films and "Morbius." She takes center stage as Cassie Webb, a New York paramedic whose psychic abilities help her see into the future. These powers come in handy when she's tasked with protecting the lives of three young women pursued by the villainous Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim).
Johnson excitedly tagged Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures in an Instagram post showing a screenshot of the Deadline article announcing her casting. While Madame Web is a character originating from the pages of Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios has no involvement with the film adaptation. The post has since been taken down, but a screenshot of it has been shared by fans in an extensive thread on X, formerly known as Twitter, with many finding it amusing that Johnson believed she was joining an official Marvel Studios film. But she wasn't the only "Madame Web" star to make the mistake.
Sydney Sweeney
Given Sydney Sweeney's rise in popularity over the last few years, it was only a matter of time before the "Euphoria" star found herself attached to a superhero project. She stars alongside Dakota Johnson in "Madame Web," playing Julia Cornwall, one of the three women Cassie Webb sets out to protect. She eventually becomes a variation of Spider-Woman.
Similar to Johnson, Sweeney accidentally tagged Marvel Studios in an Instagram post about her "Madame Web" casting in the Spider-Man-related film. Despite the company not being involved with the film's production, the actress remains hopeful to be involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. In an August 2023 interview with Variety, she gave only a modest "yes" when asked if she wants her character to join the massive movie franchise. After Disney and Sony collaborated to bring Tom Holland's Peter Parker to the MCU, perhaps they could strike a deal for Julia.
Tyrese Gibson
"Morbius" became the meme of the year in 2022 for a myriad of reasons. Adding fuel to the fire were the comments of actor Tyrese Gibson, who was a bit too confident in proclaiming that the film was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
When Gibson, who plays FBI agent Simon Stroud in the film, was asked by ComicBook in a June 2021 interview if "Morbius" was part of the MCU, he gave a definitive yes. He gave a similarly assured response when asked if the Avengers were also part of this universe. Shortly after, Sony Pictures intervened and claimed that the "Fast X" star's statements were false, clarifying that "Morbius" was not connected to the MCU.
Gibson made a similarly imprecise assumption about the film amid its popularity as a meme. One user posted a fake quote from filmmaker Martin Scorsese praising "Morbius" as a cinematic triumph that forced him to reconsider his infamous opinions on comic book adaptations. Believing this and a photoshopped image of Scorsese attending a "Morbius" screening to be true, Gibson excitedly reposted the compliment on his Instagram account.
Matt Smith
"Madame Web" and "Morbius" are two for two regarding actors who believed that their Sony Pictures production was meant to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, "Morbius" star Matt Smith went as far as to seek advice from a close friend and MCU alum.
Speaking with Digital Spy in 2022, Smith shared that after being offered the role of the villainous Milo Morbius, he reached out to actress Karen Gillan, who co-starred with him in "Doctor Who." "I phoned Karen and said, 'What's it like? Have you had a nice time?' And she's like, 'Yeah, go for it, do it.' So I did ... I mean, she's a seasoned pro, she's made about nine of them," he said.
However, it's unlikely that Gillan and Smith's experiences were entirely the same. The former has garnered worldwide recognition for playing Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers movies within the MCU but hasn't stepped foot on the set of a Sony-Marvel production.
Tom Hardy
Fans' jaws collectively dropped upon seeing the post-credits scenes in 2021's "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home." In both sequences, Tom Hardy's Venom is seen interacting with the world of Tom Holland's Spider-Man, first watching the webhead on a news report and later disappearing from Peter Parker's universe once Dr. Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) spell is reversed, leaving behind a piece of the Venom symbiote.
While we have yet to see if either "Venom 3" or a fourth MCU Spider-Man entry will follow up on these significant multiversal moments, it appears that Marvel is more interested in keeping the symbiote in the mix instead of its infamous harborer. Nevertheless, Tom Hardy remains optimistic that the two iconic comic rivals will cross paths, saying in an Esquire interview, "Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don't see why it couldn't be. I hope and strongly, with both hands, push, eagerly, towards that potential, and would do anything to make that happen, within what's right in business. But it would be foolish not to head towards the Olympic Games if you were running 100 meters, so yeah! I want to play on that field."