Denzel Washington Turned Down The Biggest Marvel Villain Role?
Denzel Washington reportedly turned down the role of Galactus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Denzel Washington won’t be eating planets anytime soon. According to The Direct, the Equalizer star turned down a chance to play Marvel’s biggest baddie, Galactus, in 2025’s Fantastic Four reboot. Industry insider Grace Randolph claimed Washington was offered the role officially by Disney and decided to pass for undisclosed reasons.
We here at Giant Freakin Robot reported that Marvel Studios is now in talks with Puss in Boots star Antonio Banderas to portray the giant purple planet muncher, which could indicate that the Spanish actor was offered it after Washington. With neither Marvel nor Disney willing to comment on either rumor just yet, it’s hard to verify , especially with Randolph’s spotty track record when it comes to Hollywood leaks.
If the rumor does prove to be true, then it means Denzel Washington turned down the biggest role of his career so far. Not in terms of prestige, of course, but in terms of literal size.
Galactus has an official height of 28 feet 9 inches, making him larger than any other character Denzel Washington has played on screen. The cosmic giant isn’t just big, either. He’s hungry too. Galactus’s nickname is the Devourer of Worlds, and he regularly does just that much, to the chagrin of the Marvel universes heroes.
The good news about Denzel Washington turning down the role of Galactus is that it frees him up for a role that’s better suited to his talents as a dramatic actor, the Fantastic Four’s other big nemesis: Doctor Doom. Washington would be perfect as the megalomaniacal monarch who’s always butting heads with the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards.
Victor Von Doom is a Shakespearean character given to dramatic monologues perfect for someone of Denzel Washington’s talents. The Flight actor cut his teeth on the bard, starting out with plays like Othello and the lesser-known Coriolanus. One could easily see Denzel giving his Training Day speech in Doom’s third person cadence, “This King of the Kongs has nothing on Doom!”
That is, of course, if Denzel Washington is even interested in joining the MCU. The actor could just as easily fit in over at James Gunn‘s newly rebooted DCU. Washington would be perfect for Jonathan Kent. Even if Gunn chooses to keep Superman himself Caucasian, having his adopted parents be people of color would give another layer to the hero’s upbringing and would help to show just why Clark chooses to fight injustice.
Denzel would also make a great—if very obvious—choice for the Batman character Lucius Fox a role played previously by Washington’s Glory co-star Morgan Freeman in the Dark Knight trilogy. The possibilities for an actor of Denzel’s talent really are endless when it comes to the realm of comic book movies.
There is, of course, the very real chance that Denzel Washington doesn’t want to play any Marvel or DC characters. A quick perusal of Washington’s filmography shows a distinct lack of franchise roles. The actor hadn’t even done a sequel until 2018’s The Equalizer 2.
While that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily opposed to the types of movies DC and Marvel, make, the actor doesn’t seem to be seeking those types of roles out, either. On the other hand, with superhero movies quickly becoming the only type of big-budget movies getting made in Hollywood, Denzel Washington might not have a choice.
Sooner or later, he’ll have to make an appearance in one comic movie or another. It’s only a matter of time.
