Jon Hamm Reveals the Real Reasons His Superman and Mr. Sinister Roles Fell Through

Jon Hamm almost suited up as Superman. He got close to being the X-Men villain Mr. Sinister, too. Neither happened, and Hamm just explained why — and it's a wild mix of wrong timing, studio mayhem, and maybe a dash of Jon Hamm being Jon Hamm.

Close… but No Cape

So Hamm was in the running to play Superman way back in 2006 for Superman Returns. He even auditioned, but didn't get the gig. Instead, the role went to Brandon Routh (who honestly, always felt about twelve years old to me in that part, for better or worse).

On Josh Horowitz's Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Hamm gave the inside scoop:

'I was too old,' he said about why he got passed over. He also pitched the idea of doing 'Superman with a sense of humor,' channeling those old Christopher Reeve vibes. Apparently, studio execs liked the thought, but said thanks and then… filed it away for at least two more Supermen down the line.

It's one of those classic 'love the energy, not the guy' situations. Fast forward almost twenty years, and the idea finally makes it to James Gunn's new take on Superman, now with David Corenswet suiting up and cracking the jokes. Hollywood, folks — they always get there eventually, just not with Hamm.

Mr. Sinister, Down the Corporate Drain

Now, on to villainy. For The New Mutants (that long-delayed mutant horror movie that landed right as Disney was eating Fox), Hamm was apparently lined up to play the X-villain Mr. Sinister — yes, comic book people had wanted this for years. At one point, it was almost a sure thing.

So what happened?

'That was supposed to happen and didn't,' Hamm said, chalking it up to 'some corporate craziness' when Disney bought the studio. Basically, mergers happened, plans changed, and Mr. Sinister stayed in his evil lair, never making it to the screen.

Sometimes Being Superman Sounds Like a Drag

Hamm's not crying about missing out on the cape. In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter (June last year), he admitted he actually prefers being the villain over the goody-two-shoes:

'My history of characters isn't exactly the saints; it's more on the sinner side of the equation. But Superman can be kind of boring. No offense to the new Superman [David Corenswet], who I hope is a delightful person.'

In other words, he's fine letting someone else handle the spandex and the earnest speeches. Honestly, that checks out — if you've seen Hamm on Mad Men, you know he does complicated and shady way better than all-American superhero.

So What's the Lesson?

• Jon Hamm almost played Superman, but the studio wanted someone younger.
• He pitched a funny spin on the character — Hollywood ignored it until much later.
• He was set to play Mr. Sinister in The New Mutants, but a Disney-Fox merger trashed those plans.
• He'd rather play complicated villains than squeaky clean heroes anyway, so no hard feelings.

All in all, it's a classic story of what might have been, mixed with a little corporate chaos and creative differences. Welcome to comic book movie casting — where the best ideas sometimes just wait around for the next reboot.