Michael Douglas wanted to leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series after two films and asked studio bosses to kill his character off – but they refused.
The Oscar-winning actor, 82, candidly revealed that he'd had enough after starring in Ant-Man (2015) and its sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) as physicist Hank Pym.
"I would have been killed off after the second one, but they wouldn't let me," Douglas told the Happy Sad Confused podcast in a new interview.
Michael Douglas has appeared in four Marvel films in total (Marvel Studios)
The actor said he originally sought out a film like Ant-Man because he had "never done a green screen movie", and told his agents: "I'd like to do one to see what they're like."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It's amazing," he continued. "It's nothing, just a green screen, and they show you the pictures of what it's gonna look like when it's all finished."
But Douglas, whose credits include Wall Street, Basic Instinct and Traffic, described the experience as "hard acting, man", stating: "It's coming at you here, this and that, you know."
While he enjoyed working with "wonderful actor" Paul Rudd and his "lovely" cast mates, including Evangeline Lilly and Michelle Pfeiffer, the actor was forced to check the "fine print" of his contract after two films, but realised "you can't get out of it" that easily.
Douglas went on to reprise his role in Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), as well as the animated series What If...? in 2021 and 2022.
Michael Douglas won't be in the forthcoming 'Avengers: Doomsday' (Getty)
The actor said earlier this year he was unlikely to return to the MCU, telling Deadline he was planning on accepting fewer roles now he's in his 80s. "I'm enjoying my hiatus and enjoying my life," he said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe actor, who also produces, said that he hasn't completely ruled out a return to acting, but it would only be "if something good comes up that I really like".
Douglas won't be part of the ensemble starring in Avengers: Doomsday, which is being released in December.
The film is set to be one of Marvel's biggest crossovers yet, bringing together heroes from across three universes to confront Doctor Doom, played by former Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr.
It will also bring back several original X-Men stars, including Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, and James Marsden as Cyclops. Avengers: Doomsday is released in UK cinemas on 16 December.
