‘John Wick’ Caused Keanu Reeves to Miss Out on the Perfect MCU Role

Bill and Ted Face the Music is the first entry in the comedy series in nearly three decades. For star Keanu Reeves, however, the project comes on the heels of a full-fledged career resurgence. The actor has become more popular than ever thanks to his John Wick series. Yet, that role also prevented him from joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Keanu Reeves has starred in several different movie series

In the 1990s, Reeves was a proven box office success story. Movies like Point Break, Speed, and The Matrix turned him into an action hero icon. Yet, throughout the 2000s, his career took a notable downturn. For more than a decade, none of his films earned more than $80 million domestically.

Even John Wick didn’t break that streak. However, the 2014 action-thriller gained steam once it hit DVD and Blu-ray. The movie gradually made Reeves a household name again, as did the more successful 2017 sequel. By the time John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum hit theaters in 2019, it was part of a full-on Reeves resurgence.

Now the actor has two more John Wick movies on his schedule. Moreover, he’s returning to other franchises like Bill and Ted and The Matrix. Rumor even has it that he might reprise his DC superhero role from 2005’s Constantine in the DC Extended Universe.

The ‘John Wick’ franchise prevented him from joining the MCU

Ironically, Reeves’ comeback role as John Wick stood in the way of him joining that other superhero shared universe. That Hashtag Show’s Charles Murphy reported that production on John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum led to scheduling conflicts with the MCU’s Captain Marvel.

Reeves was reportedly attached to the role of Yon-Rogg. But when he was unavailable, Marvel cast Jude Law as Carol Danvers’ (Brie Larson) mentor. As the story plays out, Yon-Rogg is ultimately revealed as a villainous character, which would have been an interesting move for Reeves.

The actor has played several reluctant heroes and anti-heroes. But he’s rarely played a full-on villain. Moreover, the sparring scene early in Captain Marvel would have served as a fun inversion on a similar scene in The Matrix. Only this time, Reeves would have been the master, not the student.

But Keanu Reeves could still become a big-screen Marvel superhero

Reeves might have missed out on Captain Marvel. But that doesn’t mean he’s not destined to play a superhero again. Fifteen years have passed since Constantine, but that movie has developed a devoted fan base. Even if Reeves doesn’t reprise the role, Marvel will certainly come knocking again. 

After all, Marvel Studios has reportedly wanted to cast the actor for quite some time. It seems like a new rumor about Reeves joining the MCU or DCEU is constantly making the rounds. Fans will just have to wait and see when the actor can fit filming in between his other franchises.