TheMarvel Cinematic Universewould be a very different place if these directors had been chosen to develop movies for Marvel Studios. The director is one of the most important figures in the development of any movie, but for Marvel Studios, this position is even more crucial. Some ofMarvel’s directors have become household namesas they have helped to produce the most successful film franchise of all time, but many of them weren’t Marvel Studios' only choice when planning the MCU’s projects.
Over the years, Marvel Studios has built strong relationships with brilliant directors, including Jon Favreau, the Russo brothers, James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Ryan Coogler and Destin Daniel Cretton, among others.Had many of these notable directors chosen not to join the MCU, however, Marvel Studios had other options. In the 17 years since the MCU began, there have been manymajor directors who almost joined the MCU, which would have massively changed the developments of movies such asThor, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Eternalsand more.
10Matthew Vaughn
Thor (2011)
After Paramount Pictures bought the film rights to Thor from Sony Pictures in 2006,Marvel Studios' firstThormovieofficially went into development, with a script being written byI Am Legend’sMark Protosevich. In August 2007, Matthew Vaughn was signed to direct the movie, and the director set to work editing Protosevich’s script to bring the movie’s budget down. By May 2008,Vaughn’s holding deal expired and he was released fromThor’sdevelopment, after which Marvel approached Guillermo del Toro and D. J. Caruso before hiring Kenneth Branaghin December 2009.
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Matthew Vaughn’s version ofThorwould have been rather different from the version that released during the MCU’s Phase 1.Protosevich’s original script saw Odin banishing Thor to Earth during the Middle Ages, where he would have become enslaved by Norsemen before being saved by Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. The rough outline of this story remained the same, though was shifted to the modern era in 2011’sThor. Vaughn went on to co-writeX-Men: First ClassandDays of Future Past, and direct the former, which might not have happened had he remained attached toThor.
9Patty Jenkins
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Patty Jenkins put herself on the map by writing and directing 2003’s Academy Award-winningMonster, which led to her being hired to take on 2013’sThor: The Dark WorldafterKenneth Branagh chose not to return forThor’ssequel.Jenkins was hired afterGame of Thronesdirector Brian Kirk and Marvel Studios couldn’t agree on contractual terms, but she only worked on the project for two monthsbefore also leaving, citing"creative differences"(viaThe Hollywood Reporter). Jenkins later revealed toBuzzFeedher original plan forThor: The Dark World.
I pitched them that I wanted to doRomeo and Juliet. I wanted Jane to be stuck on Earth and Thor to be stuck where he is. And Thor to be forbidden to come and save Jane because Earth doesn’t matter. And then by coming to save her … they end up discovering that Malekith is hiding the dark energy inside of Earth because he knows that Odin doesn’t care about Earth, and so he’s using Odin’s disinterest in Earth to trick him… And so it was like, I wanted it to be a grand [movie] based onRomeo and Juliet… a war between the gods and the earthlings, and Thor saves the day and ends up saving Earth.
Before Jenkins signed on to directThor: The Dark World, Marvel bossKevin Feige revealed the sequel would more-closely examine the relationship between Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, and take the pair to other worlds. This did come to pass in the Phase 2 movie, though Jenkins' original plan didn’t come to fruition whenGame of Thronesdirector Alan Taylor joined the movie. Jenkins went on to directWonder Womanand its sequel for the DCEU, though she is not expected to return for theDCU’s newParadise Lost series.
8Edgar Wright
Ant-Man (2015)
Best known as the writer and director ofShaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s EndandScott Pilgrim vs. the World,Edgar Wright had been heavily involved in the development of the MCU’sAnt-Manmovie since 2003, when he first wrote a treatment with Joe Cornish for Artisan Entertainment. After Ant-Man’s film rights reverted to Marvel, Wright was officially hired to write and directAnt-Manin April 2006.Edgar Wright’s version ofAnt-Manwent into active development, but received a huge blow when he departed the project in May 2014.
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Edgar Wright had been a fan of theAnt-Mancomic books as a child, so it was a shame that his version ofAnt-Mannever came to pass.He left the project as he didn’t want to be a"director-for-hire"for Marvel Studios, noting that Marvel wanted to write a draft script without him, even though he’d written all his previous successful movies. According to Kevin Feige, the DNA ofWright’s originalAnt-Manplanwas retained, even when Peyton Reed was hired as the movie’s new director, and Adam McKay joined to rework Wright’s script.
7Guillermo Del Toro
Doctor Strange (2016)
Before he was in the running to direct 2011’sThor,Guillermo del Toro pitched an idea for a movie focused onDoctor Strangeto Marvel, with a script written by Neil Gaiman. In 2007,del Toro expressed interest in directing a movie that saw Doctor Strange as a disbarred physician in the 1920s and ’30s who would live through the 20th Century without aging. Gaiman revealed more about these plans toColliderin 2022, though ultimately noted that the story of 2016’sDoctor Strangeworked far better, commercially.
So, the idea is that he went through all of that and the training to become the world’s greatest magician maybe in the early ’30s, late ’20s, and he’s been living in Greenwich Village for 90 years looking the same in his place, and nobody really notices. We just sort of liked that idea, and he would have been sort of out of time. But other than that, it would have just been very sort of Steve Ditko because, you know, that’s the best.
Marvel rejected this pitch, and that was the end of Guillermo del Toro’s connection toDoctor Strange. Horror movie directorScott Derrickson was later hired to direct the Phase 3 movie, though even he didn’t return for the 2022 sequel.Guillermo del Toro is one of the most influential filmmakers, and his use of practical effects, fantasy and gothic inspiration would have been incredible to see brought into the world ofDoctor Strange. Del Toro has directed a number of comic book adaptations, includingBlade IIandHellboy, but hasn’t yet helmed a movie in the MCU proper.
6Drew Goddard
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
In February 2015,Marvel Studios and Sony Picturesannounced that Spider-Man would officially be joining the MCU as part of a milestone deal between the two production companies.The Amazing Spider-Manduology director Marc Webb was confirmed to not be returning, and many other notable names were considered before Jon Watts was hired asSpider-Man: Homecoming’sdirector in June 2015.One of these names was Drew Goddard, who was considered to write and direct the movie despite working on a Sinister Six-focused project for Sony.
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Goddard revealed toCinemaBlendin 2015 that he declined to work onSpider-Man: Homecomingas he"didn’t really have an idea"of what to do with Spider-Man. Nevertheless,Goddard has worked with Marvel on other projects for many years, having created theDaredevilseries and working as a writer onThe Defenders. Unfortunately,Goddard’sSinister Sixmovienever came to fruition. The MCU’sSpider-Manfranchise would likely have been very different had Goddard been in control.
5Ruben Fleischer
Thor: Ragnarok
After thedisappointing performance ofThor: The Dark Worldand citing Marvel adjusting his version of the movie in post-production, Alan Taylor elected not to return for the thirdThormovie.Taika Waititi was a clear front-runner for the role of director very early on, but Marvel Studios did consider a number of other directors, including Rob Letterman, Rawson Marshall Thurber and Ruben Fleischer. Best known as the director of 2009’sZombielandand 2011’s30 Minutes or Less, Fleischer may have also put a comedic spin on Chris Hemsworth’s Thor.
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Taika Waititi was confirmed asThor: Ragnarok’sdirector in October 2015, allowing Ruben Fleischer to instead kick-start Sony’s Spider-Man Universe by directing 2018’sVenom.Not much is known about Fleischer’s possible plans forThor: Ragnarok, but given that he usually combines comedy with intense action sequences, theThorsequel may have been more full-on and action-packedunder his command. Waititi revolutionized theThorfranchise in the MCU, and, now, Marvel Studios is seemingly looking for anew director forThor 5 to do that again.
4Ava DuVernay
Black Panther (2018)
Ava DuVernay became the first African American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director for her work on 2013’s Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic,Selma.This made her a fantastic candidate to bring the world of Wakanda to the MCU in 2018’sBlack Panther, but while Marvel Studios was in discussions with her to direct, she ultimately passed on the opportunity. DuVernay explained toEssencein 2015 that she and Marvel"didn’t see eye to eye"onBlack Panther’sstory.
I’m not signing on to directBlack Panther.I think I’ll just say we had different ideas about what the story would be. Marvel has a certain way of doing things and I think they’re fantastic and a lot of people love what they do. I loved that they reached out to me… I loved meeting Chadwick [Boseman] and writers and all the Marvel execs. In the end, it comes down to story and perspective. And we just didn’t see eye to eye. Better for me to realize that now than cite creative differences later.
Ava DuVernay later spoke toThe Hollywood Reporterand suggested that while she would have been excited to bring African culture to mass audiences,Black Panther"wasn’t going to be an Ava DuVernay film"because of Marvel Studios' oversight. Of course,this allowedFruitvale StationandCreeddirector Ryan Coogler to join the project, and his style and voice was clearly evident inBlack Panther. Coogler has helped theBlack Pantherfranchisebecome one of the MCU’s most popular, it’s just a shame DuVernay didn’t take this opportunity.
3Deborah Chow
Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
Marvel had fast-tracked the development of its firstAsian-led MCU movie,Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, by December 2018, with Dave Callaham penning the script. FutureShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawhead writer Jessica Gao pitched an idea for the movie, while directors Justin Tipping and Alan Yang were also considered.Before Destin Daniel Cretton was hired in March 2019, Marvel veteran Deborah Chow was also revealed to be in the running, and this would have been great for the up-and-coming filmmaker.
Deborah Chow wroteIron Fistseason 1, episode 11, “Lead Horse Back to Stable,” andJessica Jonesseason 2, episode 4, “AKA God Help the Hobo.”
Deborah Chow had previously worked with Marvel as a writer, working on episodes ofIron FistandJessica Jonesfor Marvel Television and Netflix. Her being hired to directShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringswould have been a huge step up, but Destin Daniel Cretton was perhaps better suited for the job.Cretton signed on to produce more projects for Marvel Studios followingShang-Chi’ssuccess, including a direct sequel, theWonder Manseries and, more recently, theMCU’sSpider-Man 4, which may have been very different had Chow directed the Phase 4 movie.
2Nicole Kassell
Eternals (2021)
There was perhaps no better-suited director to take on the grand scope and fantastical storyline of2021’sEternalsthan Chloé Zhao, who had then-recently become the first woman of color to win the Academy Award for Best Director for her work onNomadland.While Marvel Studios snapped up Zhao as quickly as possible, other directors had been considered forEternals, and perhaps would have created very different versions of the Phase 4 movie. One of these names was DGA, Emmy and Grand Jury Prize-winning director Nicole Kassell.
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Nicole Kassell is best known as a writer and director in the world of television, having worked on shows such asVinyl, Westworld, The Killing, The Leftoversand theDC series,Watchmen. The latter earned her some major accolades, and may have made her a coveted director for Marvel Studios when considering who could take the lead onEternals.The 2021 movie’s ambition and scale was incredibly demanding, and Chloé Zhao proved in her pitches she’d be excited to take it on, meaning she left other directors in the dust.
1Bassam Tariq & Yann Demange
Blade (TBD)
Kevin Feige first confirmed the development of aBladereboot in 2019, when Mahershala Ali was announced to have officially been cast as the Daywalker. Since then, however,Bladehas been through an incredibly tumultuous production periodwhich has spurred a series of delays and changes in writers and directors, leading some to believe the project may be canceled altogether.These Birds Walk, Ghosts of Sugar LandandMogul Mowglidirector Bassam Tariq was hired asBlade’soriginal director in September 2021, but departed the project because of delays a year later.
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Bassam Tariq
French thriller and horror director Yann Demange was hired in November 2022 to replace Tariq, which spelled good news for theBladereboot. However,following 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and more changes in the cast and writing team, Demange had departed the project by June 2024. In October 2024,Marvel Studios removedBladefrom its release schedule, whileBlack Widow, Thunderbolts*andThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswriter and contributor Eric Pearson still works on the script. It’s unclear who will directBlade, but whoever it is will be joining a long legacy of incredibleMarvel Cinematic Universe directors.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
