Jeff Goldblum Was Almost In A Different Marvel Movie Before Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel fans can hardly wait to see acting legend Jeff Goldblum take on the role of The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok, but if things went the way studio head Kevin Feige had hoped, they might have seen him make his Marvel debut much earlier. 

As Feige recently told Uproxx during a press junket for Thor: Ragnarok, Goldblum was almost cast in Captain America: The First Avenger. Had that deal worked out, Goldblum wouldn't be able to appear in his scene-stealing role in the third Thor flick, something Feige is actually very thankful didn't happen. 

The question arose when Feige was asked if there was a particular actor he was still yearning to include in one of his Marvel Cinematic Universe entries, a sort of "Moby Dick" that he hadn't yet captured. "Well, if you'd asked me that a year ago, I would have had a very specific answer," Feige said. "And now it happened and he's in this movie [Thor: Ragnarok], and it's Jeff Goldblum."

Feige then reminisced about what could have been but ultimately never was, revealed the part Goldblum would have played alongside Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger, and explained why plans fell through. "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," stated Feige. "And he either wasn't available or wasn't interested or whatever. 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."

Based on Feige's comments, it sounds like Goldblum was tapped for the role of Senator Brandt, whom Michael Brandon ended up portraying. That part is, admittedly, quite a small one, and could have been somewhat of a waste of Goldblum's unique personality that fans will see in full effect in Thor: Ragnarok.

In the newest Thor film, Goldblum's Grandmaster rules the planet of Sakaar and spends his free time watching warriors battle one another to the death, Roman gladiator-style, in his grand coliseum. (You know, typical sadistic supervillain stuff.) The Grandmaster's proclivity for death-spectating eventually leads to a fight between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), which the eccentric antagonist dubs the "main event." Suffice to say, the actor goes full Goldblum in the upcoming film, and it's sure to be an absolute delight. 

Here's the official plot synopsis for Thor: Ragnarok, which also stars Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Tom Hiddleston, Iris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, and Karl Urban: "The mighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization."

Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Ragnarok is set to open in theaters on November 3.