This ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Star Was Almost Cast In ‘Captain America: First Avenger’

In this photo, Jeff Goldblum arrives at the premiere of the film “Independence Day: Resurgence” in Hollywood on June 20, 2016. Reuters/Danny Moloshok

Marvel is such a well-known superhero powerhouse that it’s hard to imagine any actor turning down the roles they have to offer. But Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed that there’s actually one star who almost got away.

Feige recently told Uproxx that a certain “Thor: Ragnarok” star was offered a role first in “Captain America: The First Avenger,” but for reasons unknown to him, he turned their offer down. That actor is none other than Jeff Goldblum.

“And we had come close. I mean, I’ll tell you, I think we spoke to him or offered him a role in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger.’ I think the role of the senator that was part of that USO tour in the first ‘Captain America’ film. And he either wasn’t available or wasn’t interested or whatever,” he said. “And thank goodness, because that would have just been a small thing and instead we got to wait for the Grandmaster, which is about as amazing as a Jeff Goldblum ‘Goldblum-iness’ could be.”

Feige was referring to Senator Brandt, the character who took notice of Steve’s marketing potential and convinced him to join the USO tour. Instead of Goldblum, Marvel got Michael Brandon to play the role, according to Screen Rant.

In “Thor: Ragnarok,” Goldblum will be playing a new character called Grandmaster, who is known for his colorful frocks and bold blue lip. He is the one managing the intergalactic gladiator arena, where Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will come face to face with his fellow Avenger, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

Goldblum is pretty hesitant to provide any spoilers regarding his character, so he simply shared the basics. “If you followed the comic books [then you know that] he’s one of the elders in the universe. His brother is the Collector, immortal, has fought and beaten death, has superpowers galore, and his games are a playful, playful sort,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

Goldblum will also join other Marvel newbies such as Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, and Karl Urban.

“Thor: Ragnarok,” which is directed by Taika Waititi, will be released on Nov. 3.