Will Smith has built himself a reputation as the ‘could-have-been’ superhero of Hollywood. The Oscar-winning actor came close to playing two iconic superheroes in his career, apart from his actual role in Hancock. Interestingly, Hancock was in development hell for years with various actors pursuing the role before Smith took it on.
Will Smith
The King Richard actor had, at one point, come close to beating Henry Cavill for the role of Superman, not for the DCEU, but for the 2006 Bryan Singer film. Smith could have also played Captain America in the MCU.

Will Smith Was Considered for Superman Returns

A still from Superman Returns
Superman Returns, the sixth installment in the original Superman series, had a list of actors lined up to carry on the legacy of the late Christopher Reeve. Eventually, the role went to Brandon Routh, who bore a striking resemblance to Reeve. Among the notable actors considered was Henry Cavill, who would go on to portray Kal-El in the 2013 DCEU film, Man of Steel.

Will Smith, who was also considered for the role, was ahead of Cavill in the run. Smith became associated with the project as the idea of marking a cultural shift with a black Superman was explored. The Pursuit of Happyness actor ultimately opted not to take the opportunity to play the Kryptonian. In an interview with MTV, the Men in Black actor shared:
“‘There is no way I’m playing Superman!’ Because I had already done Jim West [of ‘Wild Wild West’], and you can’t be messing up white people’s heroes in Hollywood! You mess up white people’s heroes in Hollywood, you’ll never work in this town again!”
Furthermore, Smith’s preference leaned towards playing a hero with shades of gray rather than the traditional squeaky-clean image associated with Superman. Consequently, the I Am Legend actor went on to play the flawed superhero in Hancock. Interestingly, the depiction of Superman became a lot darker in the DCEU movies.

Will Smith Took On The Hancock Role But Later Missed Captain America

Will Smith in & as Hancock
Will Smith stepped into the shoes of Hancock after the film suffered various production challenges. The Bad Boys actor played a superhero scorned by the public for his alcoholic nature and for causing collateral damage. Hancock received mixed reviews from critics but became a commercial success collecting $629.4M worldwide. Although a sequel was announced, it never came to fruition.

The Seven Pounds actor was also approached for the role of Marvel’s Captain America. In a revelation to MTV, actor Derek Luke confirmed that the franchise aimed to cast a black actor, even though the original comics depicted the character as white. However, further discussions did not happen on the same.

Fans are left to speculate what Will Smith could have brought to both the superhero characters. In the meantime, fans of the Suicide Squad actor can stream Hancock on Amazon Prime Video and fans of the original Superman series can rent Superman Returns on Amazon.