Thor director Kenneth Branagh has officially debunked a major “What if?” question that has long hovered over the Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom.
Since 2011, Chris Hemsworth has played Thor Odinson, the God of Thunder, in the MCU, appearing in nine films and six episodes of the animated television series What If…? on Disney+. Hemsworth is set to reprise the role at least one more time in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
Some fans have wondered how the MCU might have looked if Marvel had cast a different actor as Thor, such as Daniel Craig, who has long been rumored to have been offered the part by the studio. However, in a new interview with Business Insider, Branagh dismissed the notion that Marvel was ever considering the James Bond actor for the God of Thunder.
Daniel Craig was never in the running for Thor
“Not to my knowledge. I think we can officially debunk that,” Branagh told Business Insider about Marvel wanting Craig for Thor. “He’s an extraordinary actor, but at least under my watch, I didn’t see that happening.”
The filmmaker explained why they weren’t looking for a more established, recognizable actor like Craig — who by that point had already played Bond twice on film — for the Asgardian superhero.
“To be honest, we needed someone who wasn’t bringing previous baggage, even if the baggage was brilliance and familiar roles. It felt as though we needed someone with a clean slate who was bringing a physical heft and an innocence. I think there’s a terrific naivety that’s part of this origin story with Chris. There’s a beautiful moment in the movie where he says under deceptive questioning by Loki while marooned on Earth, ‘Can I go home?’ And he does so with such vulnerability. I think he was very open, very fresh, and very alive to being this kind of clean slate,” Branagh explained.
The director went on to add, “We knew Thor had to be physically impressive; he needed to be big, he needed to be young to have the kind of reckless, passionate, rebellious soul that was going to be part of our story.”
While it seems like Marvel and Branagh never considered casting Craig as Thor back in Phase 1 of the MCU, the studio did ultimately find a different role for the Bond actor to play more than a decade later. Craig was cast as Thor’s half-brother, Balder the Brave, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Unfortunately, Craig exited the role reportedly due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, leading Marvel to replace the character with John Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic during reshoots.
The Thor movies are available to stream on Disney+.
