Saoirse Ronan reportedly rejected an offer from Marvel Studios to play one of the MCU's biggest superheroes.
Outside of her Oscar-nominated performances in films like Lady Bird and Little Women, Ronan has dipped her toes into bigger-budget work, starring in both 2009's The Lovely Bones and 2013's The Host while also cameoing in 2014's Muppets Most Wanted.
Saoirse Ronan Rejected Major MCU Role
Deadline Senior Reporter Justin Kroll joined Matthew Belloni's The Town podcast, revealing that four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan passed up an opportunity to appear in Marvel Studios' Black Widow.
According to Kroll, Ronan reportedly passed on an offer to play Yelena Belova before the role was taken by Florence Pugh:
"The Saoirse thing, I’ve heard stuff she’s passed on. She passed on Florence’s role in 'Black Widow,' the sister. Marvel has not been her cup of tea, and she was not interested."
Other reports (per Screen Crush) noted in 2013 that Marvel was looking at Ronan to potentially play the Scarlet Witch upon her introduction in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, which would have included the post-credits scene from 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Speaking with The Mary Sue about that potential opportunity, Ronan expressed her interest in taking on that role before Elizabeth Olsen was cast, calling it "different from what anyone else has done" while giving her praises to director Joss Whedon:
"I would. Yeah, of course I would. I love Joss and I love those films, and I love his handle on them and how he portrayed these kinds of superheroes. I think it’s very different from what anyone else has done. So yeah, I’d love to be in it."
Will Saoirse Ronan Join the MCU?
Looking at these quotes along with past experiences with Saoirse Ronan, it appears highly unlikely that she'll take on a role in the MCU, especially considering how sought-after she is in the Hollywood landscape.
As for Yelena Belova's future in the ever-changing MCU, Florence Pugh is set to take her star power to new levels after becoming a breakout highlight in Black Widow and continuing her run of dominance in Disney+'s Hawkeye.
Former Avengers 5 writer Jeff Loveness teased Pugh's major role in the 2026 crossover epic, although it's unknown if anything has changed on that front with so many behind-the-scenes changes going into effect for the Multiverse Saga.
And with the character sure to evolve even further before her return to the Marvel storyline, the only major mystery now is when and where fans will see Yelena again in the franchise in the coming years.
Black Widow is streaming now on Disney+.
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