Daniel Craig's role as Balder never made it to the MCU, but he could be the perfect catalyst for his thunderous brother becoming king.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured alternate universe versions of many familiar Marvel faces, with Black Bolt, Captain Marvel and even Professor Charles Xavier having radically different incarnations as members of the Illuminati. Another character meant to show up was Balder the Brave, the Asgardian God of Light and the brother of Thor. Now, concept art has been revealed for the unused god, showing that actor Daniel Craig was meant to play him.
Sadly, there weren't any scenes filmed for Balder, and the character has yet to be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is a missed opportunity to expand Thor's mythology, and bringing Balder into future MCU projects could not only allow Craig to join the shared universe but also force Thor to finally claim his royal destiny. Let's look at how Balder could fit into the MCU's future.
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Before being given another role, frequent Sam Raimi collaborator Bruce Campbell was intended to play Balder. This idea got nixed for more "star power," with the more bankable Craig chosen afterward. Having the most recent James Bond play a Marvel character sells itself at the box office, which, given the tepid reception of Thor: Love and Thunder, might be necessary. It's also an opportunity to do something that a popular unused casting can't.
Many fans wanted Tom Cruise to play an alternate universe version of Tony Stark in Multiverse of Madness to homage to his once being in the running to play Iron Man. Especially given the success of Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise is too big of a star for a minute-long role. Add in the fact that he would be competing with the affection that audiences have for Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, and it honestly wouldn't be worth the Easter egg. But while Craig might not have played some version of Balder from throughout the multiverse, he could easily be introduced as the Balder from the main Earth of the MCU. That would give him far more substantial possibilities than Cruise essentially making a cameo as Iron Man, giving Balder the potential to shake things up in Thor's world.
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In the comics, Balder is revealed as the half-brother of Thor, and given the latter's not taking the throne of Asgard, Balder is the realm's rightful ruler. Manipulated by Loki, Balder antagonizes his brother while seeing countless Asgardian deaths under his rule. A similar route could be taken in a potential Thor sequel, with Balder usurping or even killing Valkyrie and claiming the throne of New Asgard. From there, he might be humbled by the destruction wrought on his innocent people by the rage of the Greek god Hercules, with Thor being the only one able to defeat Hercules. With his brother defeated and his people needing a leader against their newest threat, Thor finally succeeds his father, Odin, and assumes the role of King of Asgard.
One narrative element that would need to be established is that Thor and Balder know they are brothers. This way, the "surprise sibling" plot is not repeated from Hela and the events of Thor: Ragnarok. Likewise, Balder in the comics and mythology was heavily connected to the start of Ragnarok. In the MCU, Balder may see his previous absence and abandonment of Asgard as the reason for his people's near extinction by foes such as Hela and Thanos. That would explain why he's been gone and why his return is so heavy-handed. Given the reception to the fourth Thor movie, however, the introduction of Balder depends on his brother getting a fifth and potentially final film.
Timothy Blake Donohoo is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he majored in Communication and minored in Creative Writing. A professional freelance writer and marketing expert, he’s written marketing copy and retail listings for companies such as Viatek. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing video games, watching documentaries and catching up on the latest Vaporwave and Electro-Swing musical releases.
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