The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Pedro Pascal nearly played a character in Marvel's original series, and I'm happy that he ultimately didn't. Right now, Pascal is at the forefront of the MCU in one of the most highly anticipated upcoming MCU movies, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pascal will be portraying Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic, when the movie finally releases on July 25, 2025, and there is significant pressure for the actor to do the character justice, given that Richards is one of Marvel's most beloved characters and the Fantastic Four's cinematic reputation leaves something to be desired.

I have every faith that the character is in good hands with Pedro Pascal. Since his breakout role as Oberyn in the mostly acclaimed Game of Thrones, Pascal has charmed audiences worldwide for his subsequent starring roles in such productions as The Last of Us and The Mandalorian. He is certainly a valuable asset to the MCU, but his involvement might have been prevented had Marvel opted to cast him in Daredevil in a secretive role that I'm pretty confident I know.

Pedro Pascal recently revealed in an interview for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, in which he reflected on his career, that he auditioned for Daredevil around the time that Game of Thrones season 4 was airing in 2014. When asked whether he auditioned for the role of Matt Murdock, His full quote and the interview can be seen below, with Pascal's comments coming at around the 54:20 mark.

": I was auditioning for Daredevil for Marvel.

: For Matt Murdock? Or Happy?

: No, it was like a sixth...it was like a supporting character. You know, "Character number six." He was a lawyer. I can't remember the name...so I was going to test for that role."

, despite being the A-lister he is now. Game of Thrones season 4 was a game-changer for Pascal, as his celebrated role as Oberyn in the franchise opened the door to being in such high demand now. Until then, he had only played minor roles in single episodes of such shows as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Body of Truth. Still, I don't think the role he was going for in Daredevil was as minor as he makes out.

Daredevil season 1 only began airing in 2015, which means Pascal would have been auditioning for this opening season specifically. In the absence of any prominent lawyers in the show (outside of Matt and Foggy, of course) befitting of Pedro Pascal, Kingpin's confidant and right-hand man. While Wesley is no lawyer, his methodical approach and proficiency in quashing Kingpin's legal troubles certainly paint a similar picture.

Besides, I can see Marvel Studios referring to Wesley as such in early drafts as a way of avoiding leaks. Deliberately downplaying Wesley's overall role would have helped to keep the reveal of Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin under wraps. I also think , as he is relatively minor and therefore befitting of Pascal's standing in Hollywood at the time, but also important enough, much like Oberyn's role in Game of Thrones.

Also, much like Oberyn's role in Game of Thrones, Wesley doesn't last more than a single season. While I'm always happy to see Pascal take on a new role, especially within MCU productions, . Given Wesley is ultimately killed by Karen in a brilliant moment of self-defense in Daredevil season 1, episode 11, not only would Pascal have been written out of the show, but potentially the entire MCU.

While it isn't beyond Marvel to cast the same actor in multiple roles in the MCU, the actors that do return typically have a more minor role under their belt, like Gemma Chan's Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel. Wesley is too pivotal a character in for Marvel Studios to have recast Pascal in a future MCU production. Instead, in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and I'm certainly more excited to witness this portrayal than his portrayal of a character like James Wesley.