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As with just about every movie made, before the lead actor(s) are cast there are many more that audition or are considered for the role. Sometimes the person we see on screen and admire might not have been the studios first choice. So let's take a look at some of the actors and actresses who, if things had played out differently, could've ended up playing the lead roles in The Avengers.Iron Man didn't arrive on our screens until 2008, but the movie had been in development (in one form or another) since 1990. The closest it came to happening was in the mid 90s when 20th Century Fox held the rights. At first Nicholas Cage's name was linked with the role, but he fell by the wayside when Tom Cruise expressed interest in both starring and producing. A script was written, and re-written, and rejected. In 1999 Fox made one last bid to get an Iron Man movie made and approached Quentin Tarrantino to write and direct it. Cruise & Tarrantino?? That would've been an interesting combination!Several actors were linked with the role of Captain America. But before Chris Evans won the part many news sources were reporting that John Krasinski (Jim from the US version of The Office) had it in the bag and it was basically his to lose. Lose it he did!After Eric Bana wasn't invited to reprise his role as Bruce Banner for the 2008 sequel, The Incredible Hulk, several names were linked with the part of the Hulk's alter-ego. The man who would play him in The Avengers, Mark Ruffalo, was an early contender, but it seems as if the producers narrowed the choice down to two actors. Edward Norton and David Duchovny. Norton won the day.Incidentally, back in the early 2000s as Ang Lee was casting Hulk, Jeff Goldblum was in consideration for the part of Bruce Banner. "You wouldn't, uh, like me when I'm angry". You can't beat a bit of Goldblum!It's well known that Tom Hiddleston originally auditioned for Thor, along with Chris Hemsworth's brother Liam. But in an interview with MTV True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård revealed he was also in the running, and by the sound of it thought he had a very good chance. He met several times with director Kenneth Branagh and Marvel head Kevin Feige, and screen tested in the full Thor costume. The MTV reporter said to him he thought Skarsgård should've won the role as he had the perfect look for Thor, Skarsgård responded "So did I."Emily Blunt came close to playing Black Widow in Iron Man 2, but conflicting schedules with the filming of Gulliver's Travels meant she couldn't take the role. And what a classic Gulliver's Travels was, eh?Before the part was offered to Chris Evans, Jensen Ackles name was linked with the role of Steve Rogers in Captain America. Ackles later denied any involvement with the project, but multiple news sources claimed that heauditioned for the part and was well liked by Marvel. So much so that Marvel later came back to Ackles to discuss the part of Hawkeye in The Avengers. It was likely just a brief discussion because he would've had to pass due to commitments to Supernatural.They didn't need to cast Samuel L Jackson as Marvel already had their Nick Fury. David Hasselhoff starred in the 1998 movie Nick Fury: Agent of Shield - it get's a whopping 3.6 on IMDB . Hasslehoff has always been keen to resurrect the role. Maybe he was just too busy on a musical tour of Germany when Marvel called?