Random Actors Would Play Avengers If They Were Cast In '90s (21 items)

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  (#5) Joe Pesci

  • Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Home Alone, Casino, JFK, My Cousin Vinny, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Once Upon a Time in America, A Bronx Tale, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 4, Lethal Weapon 3, The Good Shepherd, Moonwalker, Easy Money, Betsy's Wedding, Man on Fire, With Honors, Gone Fishin', 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag, The Super, Jimmy Hollywood, The Public Eye, Love Ranch, Eureka, The Death Collector, I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, Dear Mr. Wonderful, Hey, Let's Twist!, GOTTI: In The Shadow Of My Father, The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway, All for the Moral Majority!, A Galaxy Far Far Away, The Irishman

  Rather than picturing Joe Pesci running around in a racoon suit, we're operating under the assumption that Pesci would have performed voice work for the character, Rocket Raccoon. If you consider Pesci's unique manner of speaking and the way he can express attitude, his vocal talents would have made for a hilarious interpretation of the character, even if it would have been markedly different from Bradley Cooper's.

  Pesci's credentials speak for themselves. The only question would be whether or not the veteran actor would actually be game to portray the character. While he isn't known for his voice acting, he definitely has the vocal range and talent necessary to accomplish the job. During the decade, he starred in My Cousin Vinny, Goodfellas, Home Alone, JFK, and Casino to name a few.

  The only concern here would be the relatively primitive effects capabilities from the '90s, which don't truly compare to the work being done today. Even with that limitation, whatever they came up with would be hilarious so long as Pesci was behind the microphone.
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  (#3) Keanu Reeves

  • The Matrix, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Matrix Reloaded, Point Break, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Speed, The Matrix Revolutions, The Replacements, The Devil's Advocate, Constantine, Parenthood, Something's Gotta Give, The Lake House, 47 Ronin, Youngblood, Dangerous Liaisons, Sweet November, A Scanner Darkly, My Own Private Idaho, River's Edge, Hardball, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Poetic Justice, The Night Before, Much Ado About Nothing, The Animatrix, Little Buddha, Thumbsucker, The Watcher, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Johnny Mnemonic, Freaked, John Wick, The Gift, Permanent Record, I Love You to Death, Street Kings, Feeling Minnesota, Man of Tai Chi, A Walk in the Clouds, Chain Reaction, Henry's Crime, Me and Will, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Babes in Toyland, The Matrix Revisited, Flying, Generation Um..., Tune in Tomorrow, The Prince of Pennsylvania, Letting Go, The Last Time I Committed Suicide, Ellie Parker, Act of Vengeance, Providence, Life Under Water, Brotherhood of Justice, Kid's Story, MTV Movie Awards Reloaded, The Great Warming, The Whole Truth, Under The Influence, Echo, Passengers, Knock, Knock, The Neon Demon, The Ultimate Matrix Collection

  Doctor Strange played a large role in what went down at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, making him one of the most important characters on screen. Marvel/Disney made the right choice in casting Benedict Cumberbatch for the role. He not only naturally looks like the Doctor, he is probably one of the best actors working in film and television today.

  That being said, he wouldn't have been the choice to play the character in the '90s because that role would have gone straight to Keanu Reeves. Forget what you know about Reeves today; he didn't step into the role of John Wick until fairly recently.

  Back in the '90s, this guy was all over Hollywood with hits including Point Break, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Devil's Advocate, Speed, and The Matrix. Reeves proved he could not only pull off serious action-focused roles, but he also had a natural wit and a wonderful sense of humor, à la the Bill & Ted franchise. With his range of talents, Reeves would have nailed the character.
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  (#17) Johnny Depp

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street, Platoon, Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, 21 Jump Street, Ed Wood, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Donnie Brasco, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Rango, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dark Shadows, Blow, Finding Neverland, Chocolat, Secret Window, The Lone Ranger, Public Enemies, Jack and Jill, Dead Man, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Cry-Baby, Benny & Joon, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, The Ninth Gate, Don Juan DeMarco, The Tourist, Before Night Falls, Arizona Dream, The Libertine, The Brave, Into the Woods, The Man Who Cried, The Rum Diary, The Astronaut's Wife, Mortdecai, Private Resort, Nick of Time, Transcendence, When You're Strange, Deep Sea 3D, Tusk, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Slow Burn, Shantaram, Yoga Hosers, Happily Ever After, L.A. Without a Map, Cannes Man, The Source, Sonic the Hedgehog, Wild Roses, Tender Roses, London Fields, Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass, Divine Rapture, The Devil, the Sinner, and His Journey

  Johnny Depp saw controversy over his 2017 divorce from Amber Heard and the allegations she made against him, but back in the '90s, he was one of the most recognizable stars Hollywood had to offer. Even before landing the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl​​​​​​​, Depp had an impressive filmography.

  His work includes memorable characters in films including Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Donnie Brasco, and Sleepy Hollow, to name a few. Depp's ability to mix action and comedy has been apparent his entire career, which makes him the obvious choice to play Hawkeye.
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  (#20) Jean-Claude Van Damme

  • The Expendables 2, Bloodsport, Kung Fu Panda 2, Timecop, Last Action Hero, Street Fighter, Kickboxer, Cyborg, Missing in Action, Breakin', Hard Target, The Quest, Universal Soldier, JCVD, Lionheart, Sudden Death, Double Team, No Retreat, No Surrender, Maximum Risk, Double Impact, Universal Soldiers: Regeneration, Nowhere to Run, Legionnaire, Knock Off, Death Warrant, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Universal Soldier: The Return, Replicant, The Order, Inferno, Derailed, Assassination Games, In Hell, Until Death, Second in Command, Welcome to the Jungle, Wake of Death, Dragon Eyes, Full Love, The Hard Corps, The Exam, Narco, Black Eagle, Barbarous Street, Beur sur la ville, Monaco Forever, The Shepherd: Border Patrol, Rzhevsky vs. Napoleon, Six Bullets, U.F.O., Enemies Closer, Swelter, Pound of Flesh

  Jean-Claude Van Damme was one of the biggest action stars to hit the silver screen back in the 1980s and 1990s, but his star power faltered as he chose a career nestled in straight-to-DVD films. Even with a floundering career, Van Damme was a household name in the '90s and he would have made for an interesting Vision.

  Granted, the action star has issues with tight, mobility-limiting costumes (which is why he backed out of being the Predator in the '80s), but he could have made for a great Vision. He would likely have been something of a controversial casting choice at the time but, odds are, he would have made the character his own and blown away audiences with his performance, even if he couldn't do his split/punch move he does so well.
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  (#11) Ben Stiller

  • Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, There's Something About Mary, Happy Gilmore, Madagascar, Tropic Thunder, The Royal Tenenbaums, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, Night at the Museum, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Empire of the Sun, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, The Cable Guy, MegaMind, Meet the Fockers, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Reality Bites, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Little Fockers, Mystery Men, The Heartbreak Kid, Starsky & Hutch, Along Came Polly, The Watch, Keeping the Faith, Orange County, Tower Heist, Flirting with Disaster, Greenberg, Submarine, Night at the Museum 3, Permanent Midnight, Heavy Weights, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, Next of Kin, Envy, Zero Effect, Your Friends & Neighbors, Duplex, Merry Madagascar, The Trip, Hot Pursuit, Penguins of Madagascar, Pauly Shore Is Dead, School for Scoundrels, Run Ronnie Run, Highway to Hell, If Lucy Fell, The Suburbans, Black and White, Stella, The Hardy Men, The Marc Pease Experience, Fresh Horses, Confessions of an Action Star, Hooves of Fire, Newt, The Independent, Used Guys, King of the Elves, Elvis Stories, Nobody Knows Anything, Danny Roane: First Time Director, Working Tra$h, The House of Blue Leaves, He's Way More Famous Than You, That's Adequate, The Nutt House, The Great Antonio, Heat Vision and Jack, Elmo's Christmas Countdown, While We're Young, Madly Madagascar, Zoolander 2, Nantucket Film Festival's Comedy Roundtable, Mission: Improbable

  As Paul Rudd proved in 2015's Ant-Man, playing Scott Lang requires a certain level of humor and charm only a few actors can pull off. Looking back at Ben Stiller's career in the 1990s, he would have made for an amazing Scott Lang. To be fair, Paul Rudd could have played the character back then as well, but he was a bit too young, perhaps a little too green to portray him as well as he did in his mid-40s.

  For Stiller, he was dominating the box office with hits including Reality Bites, Happy Gilmore, The Cable Guy, and There's Something About Mary. He even got a chance to play a superhero with the 1999 release of Mystery Men where he played Mr. Furious: a guy whose superpower was that he got really, really mad. While he's rarely forayed into action films and has relied almost entirely on comedy, you can't fault him for that wise decision, and he's clearly an incredible actor nonetheless. 
• 

  (#16) Tom Cruise

  • Top Gun, Rain Man, Jerry Maguire, The Outsiders, A Few Good Men, Mission: Impossible, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Eyes Wide Shut, Tropic Thunder, Minority Report, Risky Business, Magnolia, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Vanilla Sky, The Last Samurai, Austin Powers: Goldmember, The Color of Money, Collateral, The Firm, Legend, Days of Thunder, Oblivion, Valkyrie, All the Right Moves, Mission: Impossible II, H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, Rock of Ages, Cocktail, Far and Away, Lions for Lambs, Born on the Fourth of July, Losin' It, Knight and Day, Endless Love, Taps, Jack Reacher, Edge of Tomorrow, Celebrity News Reels: Hollywood's Most Infamous Couples and Ugliest Breakups, Mission: Impossible 5, The Hardy Men, Northern Lights, Van Helsing, Top Gun 2

  It's basically inarguable that Iron Man is the center of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU only exists due to the success of 2008's Iron Man, helmed by director Jon Favreau and led by Robert Downey Jr. If the film needed to be cast sometime during the previous decade, RDJ wouldn't have made the cut due to some personal issues he was going through. Hollywood would have turned to the one man capable of launching the franchise: Tom Cruise.

  Cruise is essentially Hollywood royalty and fans know if his name is attached to a project, odds are, it's going to be successful. Cruise's work in the '90s includes blockbuster hits like A Few Good Men, The Firm, Days of Thunder, and the first Mission: Impossible film (which was followed by five sequels). Looking back, it's almost impossible to picture anybody else playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in the '90s.

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