10 Unmade Marvel Movies That Would Have Rewritten the MCU

Let’s face it: the Marvel Cinematic Universe is everywhere, and after nearly two decades, it’s hard to imagine anyone else introducing Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, or even the C-list Inhumans to the big screen. But here’s the wild part — there are a ton of Marvel movies that almost existed, and some of them might have actually beaten the MCU to the punch (or at least made things way weirder). Some projects were abandoned before cameras even rolled, others got tangled in studio meltdowns or legal spaghetti, and a few were so strange or ambitious that it’s a miracle anyone even pitched them. Let’s go digging through Marvel’s junk drawer of never-made films, which includes everything from Tarantino’s take on Luke Cage to Guillermo del Toro trying to goth up Doctor Strange.

The Great 'What If?'s of Marvel Movies

• 'Sinister Six' (Directed by Drew Goddard)
  Remember when 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' flaunted Doctor Octopus’ arms and Vulture’s wings in a glass case? Sony was planting seeds for a 'Sinister Six' movie — basically an all-star team-up of Spider-Man’s worst enemies. Drew Goddard, who wrote 'The Martian' and 'Project Hail Mary,' had a script in hand and was set to direct. But the whole plan crashed thanks to Sony’s track record of micromanaging Spidey projects to death, plus the not-so-graceful demise of the Andrew Garfield franchise. 'Sinister Six' went straight to development purgatory.
• 'JLA/Avengers' (Animated, Directed by Bruce Timm)
  This one is extra bizarre: Bruce Timm — the guy behind 'Batman: The Animated Series' — wanted to bring Marvel and DC together for an animated crossover event based on the 'JLA/Avengers' comics. There’s even concept art out there with Timm-ified versions of Spider-Man and Daredevil, which is enough to make you wish for a universe with fewer lawyers. Predictably, rights issues between the two corporate giants killed it dead.
• 'Spider-Man' (Directed by James Cameron)
  Believe it or not, James Cameron almost got his hands on Spider-Man well before Sam Raimi. His version? R-rated, Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Parker, and a tone way closer to body horror than comic book fun. There were rewired takes on Electro and Sandman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger supposedly in the running for Doc Ock. It sounded bold — and probably would have ditched a lot of what makes Spider-Man, well, Spider-Man. As iconic as Cameron is, it was probably a blessing for Spidey’s big-screen future that he never spun his own web.
• 'Runaways' (Directed by Peter Sollett)
  Hulu’s 'Runaways' show ended up being a mid-budget teen drama, but before the series existed, there were actual plans for a 'Runaways' movie. Peter Sollett ('Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist') was the closest to getting it off the ground. He would’ve directed a coming-of-age superhero story with more cash and (hopefully) more comic book fidelity than what hit Hulu. Would it have been better? Judging by the show, the bar is pretty low.
• 'Luke Cage' (Directed by Quentin Tarantino)
  Get this: Quentin Tarantino, fresh off 'Reservoir Dogs,' almost made a 'Luke Cage' movie inspired by ‘70s Blaxploitation flicks. It would’ve been equal parts homage and grindhouse, with Tarantino’s obsession with genre dripping all over Marvel’s bulletproof street hero. Would it have stuck to the comics? Doubtful. Would it have started a dozen Twitter debates about taste? Absolutely. Still — a Tarantino Marvel movie is a fascinating 'what if.'
• 'Doctor Strange' (Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Written by Neil Gaiman)
  Back before Marvel figured out that magic could make bank, Guillermo del Toro and Neil Gaiman plotted their own 'Doctor Strange' adaptation. Their pitch — a darker, more gothic version of the Sorcerer Supreme — was exactly what you’d expect from the guy behind 'Hellboy' and the mind behind 'Sandman.' This movie might’ve redefined superhero weirdness long before the MCU got around to it, but alas, it never happened.
• 'Ant-Man' (Directed by Edgar Wright)
  Nearly everyone knows this story by now, but it still stings: Edgar Wright worked on 'Ant-Man' for close to a decade, aiming to make a heist comedy with his usual flair ('Scott Pilgrim', 'Hot Fuzz', the rest). But when Marvel’s infamous “creative differences” hit, he bounced, leaving us with a movie that’s fun, but you can only imagine what it could’ve been. If Marvel had let Wright off the leash, we might be mentioning 'Ant-Man' in the same breath as 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'
• 'Spider-Man 4' (Directed by Sam Raimi)
  Probably the most infamous Marvel project that never happened: Sam Raimi’s 'Spider-Man 4'. Tobey Maguire would’ve faced off against John Malkovich as the Vulture, with rumors swirling about Black Cat and finally unleashing the Lizard. There was a teaser poster. There was hype. Then the studio, unhappy after 'Spider-Man 3,' pulled the plug. I’d argue Raimi deserved one more swing.
• 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' (Directed by Scott Derrickson)
  Here’s a more recent heartbreak: Scott Derrickson, who directed the first 'Doctor Strange,' was set to return with a sequel that leaned hard into horror. He even publicly described it as the MCU’s first proper supernatural horror film at San Diego Comic-Con. His take would’ve teamed up Strange and Scarlet Witch battling Nightmare — yes, as in the ruler of the Dream Dimension — instead of making Wanda the main villain. Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill got ditched for Sam Raimi, and the final movie… well, it’s no secret a lot of fans were left cold. I can’t help but wonder about the darker direction that never materialized.
• 'Daredevil' (Directed by Joe Carnahan)
  Last but not least: in 2012, Joe Carnahan ('The Grey', 'The A-Team') was eager to revive Daredevil with a ‘70s-set, R-rated crime thriller. Fox still held Daredevil’s rights and needed a movie, fast, or the character would revert to Marvel. Carnahan’s vision, inspired by 'Taxi Driver,' sounded brutal, raw, and more in line with beloved comic runs (think Frank Miller or Bendis). Studio dithering cost him the shot, and the rights went back to Marvel — eventually leading to the Netflix series, which, fair enough, was pretty damn good. But nobody’s forgotten that Carnahan pitch.

So Many Almosts, So Much Studio Drama

Let’s be real: Marvel Studios has become a machine, and one that rarely lets directors get too weird. Almost every project on this list crashed and burned thanks to creative differences, risk-averse execs, or lawyers fighting over decades-old contract scraps. Still, if even one or two of these lost gems had made it to theaters, comic book movies as we know them could look pretty different — or at least, a hell of a lot stranger. Which one would you have actually paid to see?

'I wanted to make the first scary MCU film,' Scott Derrickson told a packed crowd at Hall H. It's almost painful to know how close we got.