Smoke star Taron Egerton spills some beans on his failed meeting with Marvel boss Kevin Feige

Taron Egerton has often found himself at the center of Marvel fan cast wishlists. From Wolverine to Cyclops, his name has been floated around by fans for nearly a decade. But while rumors continue to swirl, the actor has finally confirmed that one meeting with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige did happen—and nothing came of it.

“Yeah, I did meet with Kevin Feige once, but it didn’t lead to anything specific,” Egerton revealed during a Bingeworthy podcast episode with The Playlist. “It was more of a general meeting, and I think that’s all it ever was.”

Despite the Marvel fandom’s enthusiasm for seeing him in a superhero role, Taron Egerton is in no rush to don a cape or claws. His latest role in Smoke, the new Apple TV+ thriller from Dennis Lehane, offers a different kind of transformation—one that’s psychological, morally twisted, and far removed from the traditional comic book hero mold.

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The reality behind the Marvel meeting

In the age of cinematic universes, a general meeting with Kevin Feige is enough to spark months of speculation. But Taron Egerton was quick to temper expectations.

“It didn’t lead to anything specific,” he said, clarifying that the meeting wasn’t tied to any concrete role or project.

It wasn’t a formal offer, just a casual conversation between one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors and the head of the most expansive franchise in the industry.

The Kingsman star also spoke candidly about the nature of Marvel contracts and why he remains cautious.

“I think there’s an expectation with Marvel that you’re signing on for a long journey,” he said. “And that’s a big commitment. So unless the character is something I really, really connect with, it’s not something I’m rushing into.”

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Taron Egerton is choosing complexity over commerciality

Taron Egerton's current choices suggest he’s more drawn to layered, morally ambiguous roles than big-budget franchise fare. In Smoke, he plays Dave Gudsen, a small-town arson investigator who hides a deeply disturbing secret—he’s the one setting the fires.

“The first 1.7 episodes, I’m having to keep a lid on some character traits that are very, very, very extreme,” he explained, referring to the early pacing of the series. “And I found that hard because I wanted to portray him authentically based on my instincts. But to do that too early would be to kind of give the game away.”

The tipping point arrives in Episode 2, when Dave explodes into violence toward his teenage stepson.

“It’s horrible, but it just felt very right,” Egerton admitted. “Very ugly out of nowhere.”

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Working from the “mask inward”

To portray a man both disturbed and delusional, Taron Egerton approached the role from what he called the “mask inward.”

“I don’t know that Dave is aware that he’s a monster. That’s an inconvenient truth for Dave,” he explained. “[To him], Dave is a hero. Dave is a good guy. He’s grossly misunderstood. He’s in a kind of place of existential denial.”

The show also makes strong use of practical fire effects, which Egerton said helped ground the emotional intensity of key scenes.

“It still injects a sense of jeopardy to a scene. You can’t ignore it, so it puts you in the moment,” he said. “And fire as a thematic force should be there as something that symbolizes the chaos in Dave.”

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Where does Kingsman 3 stand?

While Smoke marks a darker chapter in his career, Taron Egerton isn’t turning his back on franchise filmmaking entirely. When asked about the status of Kingsman 3, he acknowledged that both he and director Matthew Vaughn are interested, but timing remains an issue.

“He did call me on Friday night, actually,” Egerton laughed. “Yeah, look, we both want to do it. And I know Colin [Firth] is open to doing it, too. I think the interesting thing will be figuring out whether we all see the same thing. I love Matthew. Matthew is like family to me. I really think there’s a brilliant story to tell with the third Kingsman. And I still think it will happen.”

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A new creative chapter

For now, Taron Egerton is focused on “weirder and smaller” stories. Alongside Smoke, his upcoming slate includes the indie drama She Rides Shotgun and the Netflix action-thriller Apex, co-starring Charlize Theron.

“This is the first of a little period of quite interesting, much darker characters for me,” he said. “I’m definitely entering a new little chapter of stranger fare.”

In a landscape full of spectacle, Taron Egerton appears to be carving out space for characters who are uncomfortable, complex, and flawed—and that may be more compelling than any Marvel suit.

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Stay tuned for more updates!