Although I was shocked to learn that one MCU actor nearly got cast in Chris Evans' role as Captain America, I'm glad they weren't after they brought one of the best villain performances in Marvel's entire franchise instead. Although Chris Evans was far from unknown in 2011 after having starred in Fox's Fantastic Four duology and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, his star power was still relatively minor compared to his current status after having embodied the role of Steve Rogers for eight years. Now, of course, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role.
Such is the way with Marvel Studios, which has repeatedly proved its proficiency in making the best casting decisions for MCU productions. Now that it is such an insurmountable franchise, plenty of actors have started speaking out about missed opportunities and regrettable rejections. In the case of one in particular, however, missing out on one of Marvel's foremost roles opened the door to another which, while admittedly far more minor, was probably for the best.
Wilson Bethel's Bullseye Story Is One Of The Most Interesting Parts Of Daredevil
Daredevil Brought So Much Depth To Bullseye
Wilson Bethel portrays Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter in Daredevil. Daredevil depicts the full extent of Dex's origin story, from his traumatic childhood to his genesis as one of Matt Murdock's foremost nemeses, providing far deeper insight into the character than Colin Farrel's portrayal in 2003's Daredevil (not that I'm disparaging Farrel's award-winning acting chops, of course). Despite being employed by Fisk as a private assassin tasked with obliterating Daredevil's public image, Bullseye is far from a one-note henchman, as Bethel delivers a nuanced portrayal of a deeply troubled villain with genuinely formidable skill.
The Netflix Marvel shows are on Disney+. With Daredevil: Born Again on the way, here’s the full watch order for The Defenders shows and The Punisher.
Born to a broken home and raised in a broken system, Poindexter, like many Marvel villains, still garners a measure of sympathy. Nevertheless, he is portrayed to be more volatile than most, exhibiting characteristics akin to pure psychopathy as he fails to subdue his darker urges and develops a lethal obsession with his ex-colleague, Julie. During the Daredevil series finale, we are treated to a telling shot of Poindexter with bullseyes reflected in his eyes, hinting that his maltreatment and defeat at the hands of Kingpin and Daredevil had finally caused him to fully embrace his villainy.
Wilson Bethel's Daredevil Casting Would Have Been Almost Impossible Were He Cast As The MCU's Captain America
Bethel Revealed That He Got Pretty Close To Portraying Captain America
Bethel's Bullseye debuted in Daredevil season 3, which aired in October 2018 - seven years after Steve Rogers made his big screen debut in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. At the time, Daredevil's MCU canonicity was debatable and was only recently settled definitively in March 2024. This was after Disney incorporated the entire Defenders Saga into its official MCU timeline on Disney+ and Marvel Studios Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum confirmed it. This means that Bethel's Dex, along with all other characters in Daredevil, is officially part of the MCU and will reappear in Daredevil: Born Again.
While it may have pained Bethel initially, I think we can all agree that the preferable casting decisions won out in the end.
This might not have been the case had Bethel's first choice borne fruit. At a recent Fan Expo event, Bethel divulged that he had initially auditioned for the MCU's Steve Rogers, and even got pretty far into the process before Marvel Studios ultimately opted for Chris Evans. Bethel admitted that he had undergone multiple screen tests and even wore the suit before his agent delivered the pivotal news. While it may have pained Bethel initially, I think we can all agree that the preferable casting decisions won out in the end. Bethel's full quote is as follows:
"The hardest hit I took was...I came very close to being cast as Captain America. I went through multiple rounds of screen testing, and the suit felt incredible. Yeah [when asked if he has pictures] There were all these things that were happening that made me feel like I was getting the part. And then I remember my agent calling me one day, and they're like, 'No, actually, they offered it to Chris Evans' or whatever."
I'm So Excited To See Wilson Bethel's Bullseye Return After Daredevil Season 3
Bullseye's Return Is Made For An R-Rated Show
I'm not surprised the same series that delivered the paradigmatic iteration of Kingpin in live-action is also to thank for bringing far greater depth to a genuinely heinous Marvel Comics villain. Poindexter's traumatic past and deep-seated mental illness help to create one of Marvel's most terrifying villains yet, and I'm so happy Daredevil didn't kill him off, instead laying the groundwork for the character to reappear in his most intimidating form in Daredevil: Born Again. Pairing this with the inevitably terrifying debut of Muse fills me with enthusiasm for the upcoming TV-MA-rated sequel series.
Daredevil: Born Again will be the second TV-MA-rated MCU show after 2024's Echo.
In fact, I think Bullseye may have set a precedent that Daredevil: Born Again must now improve upon. While MCU audiences have already been treated to fleshed-out reprisals from Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Vicent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk, I can't help but feel that their roles in MCU shows like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Echo will pale in comparison to Bethel's upcoming performance. I can't wait to see how the events of Daredevil have affected Bullseye's psyche and how he will interact with the macabre Muse when Daredevil: Born Again finally airs on March 4.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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