Alan Ritchson Thought He Got This Iconic Role — He Even Bought a Tesla, Then Got a Huge Surprise

Alan Ritchson has built a career on playing larger-than-life action heroes, but long before Jack Reacher or his string of military thrillers, the actor was fighting for a very different kind of role in the DC universe. His path into the world of caped crusaders and vigilantes did not go quite the way he originally planned.

That journey started with an audition most fans probably never knew about, one tied to one of DC’s most iconic sidekicks. Ritchson has spoken before about his early superhero ambitions, but a new conversation at Comic-Con brought fresh detail to just how close he came to landing a very different character altogether.

Speaking with Variety, Ritchson revealed that he originally auditioned to play Robin on ‘Titans,’ the DC streaming series that eventually launched in 2018. According to the actor, he left that audition feeling so confident in his performance that he went out and bought a Tesla the same day, fully convinced the role belonged to him.

That confidence, as Ritchson explained, did not quite match how the casting process actually played out. He recalled the studio calling him back with a very different message, telling him they still wanted him on the show, just not as the character he auditioned for, and instead offering him the role of Hank Hall, known in the DC universe as Hawk.

The role of Dick Grayson, Robin’s civilian identity, ultimately went to Brenton Thwaites, who led the series as it followed a young group of DC heroes through its run. Ritchson has previously described being told he was considered too old to play Batman’s former protégé, a detail that lines up with the studio ultimately steering him toward Hawk instead.

Ritchson went on to portray Hank Hall across multiple seasons of ‘Titans,’ starring alongside Minka Kelly’s Dawn Granger as the vigilante duo Hawk and Dove. He began the role in a recurring capacity before being promoted to series regular, remaining with the show through several seasons before his character’s arc concluded.

This is not the only near miss Ritchson has discussed from that era of his career. The actor has also revealed that he came close to landing the role of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recalling that he did not take the audition process seriously enough and was ultimately told by the studio that he had not shown enough craft for the part, which instead went to Chris Hemsworth.

Despite missing out on both Robin and Thor, Ritchson’s superhero résumé has remained steady over the years, having also portrayed Aquaman during a run on ‘Smallville’ before his time on ‘Titans.’ Those early roles helped establish him as a recognizable face in genre television well before he became one of streaming’s most in-demand action leads.

Looking back, the Robin audition story has become something of a well-known anecdote among fans who follow Ritchson’s career, but hearing him revisit it in his own words at Comic-Con adds new color to just how differently things could have played out. Had that original audition gone the way he expected, an entirely different version of ‘Titans’ might have taken shape.

For an actor who has since become known for playing some of television’s most physically imposing leading men, it is a reminder that even a confident audition does not always guarantee the outcome you expect. What do you think of Alan Ritchson almost playing Robin instead of Hawk on ‘Titans’? Share your thoughts in the comments.