Leonardo DiCaprio Joining A Huge Marvel Franchise
After decades of avoiding major franchises, a new rumor suggests that Leonardo DiCaprio could be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This article is more than 2 years old
Leonardo DiCaprio has been one of the biggest stars in Hollywood for decades, all without ever being involved in a major franchise or sequel. Instead, DiCaprio has stuck with working with great directors like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Christopher Nolan, and building a resume of fantastic work, without the need for known properties. But a new rumor suggests that DiCaprio might finally be breaking into the biggest franchise of them all: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
We Got This Covered is reporting news from gossip writer Daniel Richtman, who says Leonardo DiCaprio is in discussions with Marvel to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a version of Spider-Man from another universe. Richtman doesn’t say who his sources are, but Richtman has also made similar claims in the past, stating that Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness might feature all sorts of alternate castings, such as John Krasinski as Captain America and Tom Cruise as Iron Man, none of which have been confirmed.
It seems these rumors stem from past casting possibilities that never came to be. John Krasinski has spoken in the past about how he auditioned to play Captain American, while Tom Cruise was considered for Iron Man prior to Robert Downey Jr. getting cast in the part. Similarly, Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the role of Spider-Man back when his former Titanic director James Cameron was planning on making the film. The movie fell through, and Sam Raimi took over, but Raimi is also directing Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, so who knows if Raimi will reference the version of Spider-Man that was never made.
Leonardo DiCaprio has been offered plenty of roles in major franchises, all of which he has turned down. DiCaprio has talked about this in interviews, saying he had a meeting with Joel Schumacher to discuss playing Robin in Batman Forever, and another meeting with George Lucas to play Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels. DiCaprio also mentions not becoming Spider-Man saying he wasn’t “ready to put on that suit.”
Leonardo DiCaprio has never shown any interest in becoming a part of a massive franchise, nor becoming an iconic character like Robin, Anakin Skywalker, or Spider-Man. It also doesn’t seem like DiCaprio would go to all the trouble of appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as little more than a cameo. In that same interview, however, when asked if he’d like to play a superhero, DiCaprio says, “You never know,” then finally, “I don’t rule out anything.”
While there are plenty of casting rumors for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, there have been far more surrounding the third Spider-Man film, including the rumors that Marvel plans on uniting all previous Spider-Man worlds into one universe. We’ve already seen Jamie Foxx cast as his The Amazing Spider-Man 2 villain Electro, and Alfred Molina returning as Doc Ock from Spider-Man 2. Many have theorized we might see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield coming back as Spider-Man, and considering Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio are close friends, maybe Maguire convinced his old friend to pop in.
But it’s even more likely that an appearance from Leonardo DiCaprio in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is simply nothing more than wishful thinking. Sure, major actors and Oscar winners like Christian Bale, Rachel Weisz, and Angelina Jolie are joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase Four, but nothing about Leonardo DiCaprio’s filmography or the roles that he leans towards even hints that he has any interest in becoming a superhero, even if it is just for a cameo.
Besides, Leonardo DiCaprio already has a long list of upcoming projects that probably sound more enticing than being yet another Spider-Man in a universe lousy with them. DiCaprio is currently filming Don’t Look Up, the latest film from Adam McKay. DiCaprio also has quite a few films in the works with his frequent director Martin Scorsese. DiCaprio and Scorsese are working together on adaptations of Killers of the Flower Moon and a The Devil in the White City TV series, as well as Roosevelt, in which DiCaprio would play the title character.
But for decades, Leonardo DiCaprio has turned down major role after major role, choosing projects that interest him, instead of major franchises. In doing this, DiCaprio has become a highly-respected actor with an impressive lineup of films to his name. At this point, there are only a few actors that have completely avoided being parts of a major series, and DiCaprio has succeeded in not getting sucked into that world and been better for it. Is it likely DiCaprio will give up working with his friend and collaborator Martin Scorsese to go off and shoot a cameo in a Marvel movie? Probably not. But who knows, even DiCaprio has said he doesn’t rule out anything.
