Next fall,Mark Ruffalo’s beloved Hulk character will finally return inThor: Ragnarok, after skipping this summer’sCaptain America: Civil War. The actor made his Marvel debut as Hulk in 2012’sThe Avengers, but nearly 20 years prior, the actor almost portrayed another iconic Marvel character, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was even formed. A new documentary reveals that the Oscar-nominated actor almost played the nefarious Doctor Doom, although not in the movie you may think.
Yahoo! Movies reports that in the new documentaryDoomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four,Mark Ruffaloauditioned for theDoctor Doomrole, which he ultimately lost toJoseph Culp. The documentary also reveals that other well-known actors who were turned down for the movie includesXena’sRene O’ConnorLoststarTitus WelliverandSeinfeld’sPatrick Warburton. It probably worked out better for those who didn’t land roles in this movie, since it was never actually released.
TheFantastic Four documentaryis currently available on digital platforms, chronicling how this doomedFantastic Fourfilm was filmed, but never released. The cast and most of the producers were unaware that the film was only made so that producerBernd Eichinger’s option on theFantastic Fourrights he purchased would not expire, and there were no plans to release the movie. Low-budget mastermindRoger Cormanwas brought on to produce, withOley Sassonedirecting from a script byCraig J. NeviusandKevin Rock. While the film was never officially released, pirated copies started circulating.
IfMark Ruffalohad landed the Doctor Doom role, it would have been the biggest of his career at that point. He had small roles infeature filmssuch asA Song For You,Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven DanceandThere Goes My Baby, which came out in 1994, when theFantastic Fourmovie was originally slated for release. The actor had his breakthrough role a few years later inKenneth Longeran’s 2000 dramaYou Can Count On Me.
The doomed 1994Fantastic Four moviealso starredAlex Hyde-Whiteas Reed Richards,Jay Underwoodas Johnny Storm,Rebecca Staabas Susan Storm andMichael Bailey Smithas The Thing. The supporting cast ofThe Fantastic Fouralso includedGeorge GaynesofPolice Academyfame. Thankfully,Mark Ruffalofound his rightful place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe all these years later.
