A new MCU rumor claims Daniel Craig was almost a part of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and was supposed to play the role of Balder, the brother of the God of Thunder Thor in comics. As per Deadline’s Justin Kroll, Craig had agreed to appear in the film, and was expected to lead the Illuminati against Wanda, replacing John Krasinki’s Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic. The rumour further claims Craig initially agreed to play the brief cameo before the spike in COVID cases in the UK.
WHO IS BALDER?
Balder Odinson, also known as Balder the brave is one of the Norse gods of Asgard and half-brother of the Thunder God Thor. Together, Balder and Thor had vanquished a lot of foes in the Marvel Comics. His powers include travelling at speed of light, and he’s the fastest of all Asgardian warriors. He is also invulnerable from any threats of living and non-living while in the Asgardian dimension. This is owing to a powerful spell cast by his mother Frigga, while trying to avert Ragnarok.
Some of you might remember Baldr as the main antagonist in God of War (2018), Baldr was one of the most terrifying threats Kratos faced in the entirety of God of War series. So, you might remember how powerful he actually is as only a few Gods like Thor and Odin surpass his might in all of Norse Mythology.
CRAIG COULD HAVE REPLACED KRASINSKI
Due to Craig’s decision to forfeit the role, the writers had to bring in John Krasinki, who is a longtime fan favorite to play Mr. Fantastic. If Craig had showed up in the role, the rumour states that Wanda would have coursed Balder into committing suicide. So basically he would have suffered the same fate as Mr. Fantastic anyways.
Of course, at the end of the day, Craig’s decision to leave the role (if he was really considered and approached) is understandable. The 54-year-old actor had enough physical strains while playing the iconic James Bond for over a decade. Hence rejecting a small cameo offer like this over COVID concerns makes a lot of sense. But fans being fans got hyped about this leak and even now it’s not too late for him to join MCU. Balder is one of the only few remaining Norse Gods who haven’t appeared in MCU yet, so we might see him soon anyways. The question is, will Daniel Craig be the one to play him?
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