Leonardo DiCaprio Could Have Been a Superhero—Here’s Why He Turned Down Batman and Spider-Man

Hollywood’s A-list actor Leonardo DiCaprio has played diversified roles in films ranging from intense dramas like The Revenant and Shutter Islands to his iconic works like Titanic and Inception. Despite his renowned reputation as one of the industry’s most talented actors, DiCaprio never appeared in any DC or Marvel universes, frequently featuring iconic stars like Gal Gadot, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Christian Bale. While he may have rejected several roles in his pursuit of delivering exceptional work, he also has turned down some iconic roles, including a superhero role.

At 19, DiCaprio earned his nomination for an Oscar for his performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. After this, he was offered several roles, including Richard Grayson/Robin in 1995 DC and Batman Forever. Unfortunately, the Titanic actor turned down the role.

DiCaprio met the film’s director, Joel Schumacher; however, they never took the role. Instead, he chose to work on low-budget films like The Basketball Diaries and Total Eclipse. In a throwback interview with ShortList, DiCaprio admitted that he was not ready to play a superhero role then. He said, “I never screen-tested. I had a meeting with Joel Schumacher. It was just one meeting, and I didn’t end up doing it. […] I don’t think I did [want the role], no. I recall that I took the meeting but didn’t want to play the role. Joel Schumacher is a very talented director, but I don’t think I was ready for anything like that.”