The leading man of the ’80s, an Emmy Award nominee, a Tony Award nominee, and an Oscar winner who was nominated four more times, William Hurt was the face of the calculating and ruthless Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross in the MCU for 14 years. And yet, he is not only missing from the official trailer of Captain America: Brave New World, but has also been replaced by Harrison Ford. Why?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a reputation for maintaining good, long relationships with its bankable stars, not even letting messy legal cases sour the bond (e.g. the whole Black Widow and Scarlett Johansson legal battle that only temporarily created friction between her and the Marvel bosses). Marvel is also known for promptly cutting ties with problematic souls, whether it was Jonathan Major, Joss Whedon, or at one point, James Gunn.
So, what went wrong with William Hurt to have the MCU replace the stellar actor?
In one word? Fate.
Hurt, the absolute favorite of the Academy Awards, who starred in successful films like Broadcast News, The Big Chill, Body Heat, etc… broke the heartbreaking news in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer and that it had spread to his bones.
He would still go on to star in two more MCU films — Avengers Endgame and Black Widow, along with playing prominent roles in The Last Full Measure and critically praised TV series like Goliath, Condor, and Mythic Quest. During a press conference, he shared how the side effects of chemo had always frightened him and hinted that he was diagnosed years before going public with the news.
“I didn’t want to hear the word chemo out of your mouth. I had fought tooth and nail for five years to change my life so that word didn’t happen to me. Here it was and I was really upset.”
The horrifying reality of his situation prompted him to seek an alternative treatment that saved him — a new cancer therapy called Side Effect-Free (SEF) Chemotherapy that is free of the usual chemo side effects. Alin Foundation founder and lead researcher Dr. Kenneth Matsumura even claimed that this unique method of therapy once allowed an individual to live for 12 years with his cancer in remission.
Sadly, in Hurt’s case, the effectiveness of the treatment couldn’t be judged for long as just a week before his 72nd birthday in 2022, the actor passed away “peacefully” due to “natural causes,” as shared by his son, Will.