The Real Reason Emily Blunt Turned Down Black Widow

At this point, everyone in Hollywood knows that when Marvel comes calling, you always say yes. Taking a role in one of the studio's superhero blockbusters can catapult an actor to the A-List and make them a household name overnight—and for already established stars, taking a Marvel gig offers an opportunity to branch out in front of the widest possible audience at a time when the major studios are becoming increasingly reliant on franchise-driven fare. There are exceptions to every rule, however, and Emily Blunt is one star who could have taken a major Marvel role—and ended up turning it down. As it turns out, the decision to reject a spot in the MCU actually wasn't all up to Blunt, however. Here's the story behind the story, and a look back at what actually kept Emily Blunt from suiting up alongside the Avengers and becoming one of Earth's mightiest heroes.

By January 2009, Marvel had started talks with Blunt to iron out the finer details of her contract. Given the effect that the first Iron Man had on Robert Downey, Jr.'s career, it was easy to assume that Blunt must have been eager to lock down the role. However, by March of that year, those talks had ceased, and Scarlett Johansson—who had originally lost the role to Blunt—wound up being cast instead.

In 2012, Blunt told Vulture that she's kind of glad she didn't get those parts. According to her, superhero movies tend to cast women as second fiddle to the guys who are out bromancing and beating up the baddies, which isn't far from the truth. Thus far, Black Widow's been the most important female in the MCU, but she hasn't gotten much in the way of front-burner storylines. Still, Blunt's comments about the gender politics of the MCU aside, one doesn't have to listen too hard to hear the tinge of regret in her voice. And there's good reason for that.

Now, to be fair, Blunt's reps tried working out a scheduling deal with Fox's people so that she could appear in both Gulliver's Travels and Iron Man 2. Fox's flick was set to film late March 2009 in the U.K., while Marvel's blockbuster would begin production that April in California. Obviously, the talks didn't pan out, but it seems as though they fell apart before they got off the ground. Marvel almost immediately went ahead and recast the part, leaving Blunt hanging high and dry.

While Gulliver's Travels became a cinematic footnote at best, Blunt has continued to have a prosperous and prolific career. Of all the movies she's made, Edge of Tomorrow is worth noting because it gives fans an idea of just how good a fit she would have been as the Black Widow. Heck, she even won an award for her butt-kicking performance. Unfortunately, it didn't help her when she was rumored to be up for her third potential Marvel role.