Why Thor Was One Of The Most 'Daunting' Marvel Roles To Cast
Marvel hasn't been having the best time of late and the shaky attempt to recapture lightning in a bottle that was "Thor: Love and Thunder" is a good example. Whereas its predecessor, "Thor: Ragnarok," saw star Chris Hemsworth leaning into his comedic sensibilities to great effect, even Hemsworth himself agreed that "Love and Thunder" was just too silly. But when the God of Thunder made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut all the way back in 2011, the opposite was true.
Whereas "Iron Man," the film that changed Hollywood forever by kicking off the massively popular interconnected universe, was led by Robert Downey Jr. and his magnetic charisma, 2011's "Thor" was a darker affair that embraced the character's origins and delivered what was essentially a fantasy adventure with relative unknowns in the lead roles of Thor and Loki. In the late-aughts, Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston did not enjoy the superstar status they do today, so casting them was somewhat of a gamble, even if they were surrounded by established stars such as Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster.
Thankfully, it was a gamble that paid off. "Thor" made $449.3 million worldwide against a reported budget of $150 million, which back then wasn't bad at all. Sure it might seem meager in an age where superhero movies are known for approaching and often surpassing the billion-dollar mark, but in 2011, almost half a billion was a triumph for a film that was, in many ways, a risk. That's a good thing, too, considering actually casting Hemsworth in the lead sounds like it was a real headache.
Finding a Thor actor who could play a relatable god was tough
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, "Thor" introduced Hemsworth's Norse god to the masses. But finding the leading man was a struggle. According to casting director Sarah Finn, who spoke to The Washington Post back in 2019, even before the search for a leading man got underway, the whole prospect was particularly "daunting" due to the fact the film demanded a lead actor who could convincingly project "both the qualities of an Asgardian god and be a relatable figure on Earth." That's a tough combination to find, as the lengthy audition process proved.
Auditions for the lead role in "Thor" saw multiple actors try out. Alongside Hemsworth, "Reacher" star Alan Ritchson auditioned for the God of Thunder, as did British actor Charlie Hunnam and "Silent Night" star Joel Kinnaman. According to Deadline, 007 himself, Daniel Craig, reportedly turned down the lead role, which, frankly, sounds like it was for the best.
Elsewhere, Alexander Skarsgård, whose father, Stellan, featured as Dr. Erik Selvig in the final film, tried out for the role of Thor, as did a blonde-haired Tom Hiddleston before he ultimately landed the part of Thor's brother, Loki, and became famous for his portrayal of the God of Mischief. Even WWE wrestler Triple-H was reportedly considered at one point. Quite clearly, then, the search for the MCU's Thor was so frustrating that it led the filmmakers to some dark places.
Chris Hemsworth faced an uphill battle to play Thor
After what was quite clearly an exhausting casting process, despite his "Thor" audition not going very well, Chris Hemsworth did ultimately get the lead role — but not before beating out his own brother for the part. The Aussie actor once told Wired that Liam Hemsworth was one of the frontrunners for the role but the producers thought he was slightly too young. After that, Hemsworth's manager suggested Liam's older brother and the rest was history ... sort of.
When Hemsworth was cast as Thor, the actor was not the movie star he's known as today. Aside from playing Captain Kirk's father in a brief scene in J.J. Abrams's "Star Trek," Hemsworth had previously starred alongside Sean Bean in Stephen Milburn Anderson's independent crime thriller "Ca$h." But that was really his only starring role outside his native Australia, where he was known for playing Kim Hyde on the soap "Home and Away." As such, he was pretty much an unknown going into "Thor."
As was Tom Hiddleston, who, like his co-star, was known more in his homeland than as an international star. As Sarah Finn explained to the Washington Post, following the pair's casting in "Thor" a 2009 Vulture article announced, "Marvel Rolls Dice, Casts No-names for 'Thor.'" The casting director told the outlet, simply, "I've lost a lot of sleep over the years." Thankfully, both Hemsworth and Hiddleston's casting turned out to be as inspired as Robert Downey Jr.'s casting in "Iron Man."
Chris Hemsworth is too good as Thor not to return to the role
In a making-of featurette, "Thor" director Kenneth Branagh recalled that he and the film's producers had met with Chris Hemsworth early in the process, explaining:
"We knew when he came in for a screen test and told a story of Thor's exploits, and he did it with such relish, such fun, a sense of danger, he was able to occupy the character of Thor in a way that seemed just right to us."
Despite him being a relative unknown, then, Hemsworth very quickly proved Branagh right. Like many of his MCU co-stars, the actor has come to define his character for an entire generation. So, while "Thor: Love and Thunder" might have put Hemsworth off playing the God of Thunder for now — he told GQ last year he was going to "do some other stuff for a while" — I'm sure he'll be making a return in some form eventually.
While Marvel struggles to overcome the fact that too much of the MCU basically proved to be the franchise's Kryptonite, Thor will probably be on the back burner for a little while. Whatever course correction Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige spearheads, I can't imagine Hemsworth and his character will be at the forefront. But considering how perfectly suited to the role he was back in 2011, it would be a shame if the last we saw of him was "Love and Thunder."