Reacher Star Alan Ritchson Says Arrogance Cost Him A Major Marvel Superhero Role

He might be known as tough-as-nails drifter Reacher and the star of Netflix's "War Machine," but there was a time when Alan Ritchson came very close to earning superhero status in one of the biggest movie franchises ever made. Ritchson, who has now spent three seasons as ex-military police officer Jack Reacher in the hit Prime Video series, told Men's Health in an interview that he came close to being cast as the MCU's Thor, only to have his thunder stolen by Chris Hemsworth.

Looking back on the job opportunity that passed him by, Ritchson has openly admitted that missing out on the role was no one else's fault but his own. "I didn't take it seriously. I was like, 'They'll throw me the part if I look like the guy; nobody really cares about acting.'" The feedback he got lined up with his regret, being told after the audition that he hadn't shown "the craft" that Marvel was looking for.

To have gone for the hero role with such a casual attitude might surprise some die-hard Ritchson fans, given his career before turning henchman into paste in "Reacher." Before Jason Momoa took the title of lord of the seas, Ritchson was Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, in the Superman prequel series "Smallville." Flash forward to 2018, and he donned another crime-fighting costume, this time as Hank Hall, aka Hawk, in "Titans." However, there's one role that DC fans were keen to see him in, but it seems the head of that universe might have other plans.

While he might have fumbled Thor, there was one superhero that Ritchson had been vocal about wanting ever since the DC universe got a reboot with a new Superman (David Corenswet) leading the way. The star had name-dropped Batman on a number of occasions that hadn't gone unnoticed by the co-head of DC Studios, James Gunn, who admitted on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, "I am a big Alan Ritchson fan. Both as an actor and as a guy. Let's just wait to see what happens."

Following Gunn's thumbs-up, Ritchson revealed that while his chances of becoming the next Caped Crusader might be off the table, his chances of appearing alongside brand new Kryptonians and charged-up Green Lanterns weren't. "Well, it's not rumor that James Gunn is a fan. He said it himself. And am I a fan of James Gunn? Absolutely. I don't want to mislead people." Ritchson told Variety. "Words have been exchanged about Batman. But I strongly don't think that Batman is in my future. I do think there is something in my future with DC. And I would like that to remain true." Let's just hope it stays that way and that any potential superhero role for Ritchson isn't a repeat of "Thor" for him.