Again when Marvel was nonetheless enjoying it comparatively protected with Iron Man and The Unbelievable Hulk, the concept of launching Thor nearly didn’t make the minimize. The studio wrestled with make a literal god work in a universe that was, on the time, making an attempt to remain grounded. There have been early drafts floating round the place Thor was barely even a part of the long-term plan. Yep, the God of Thunder was almost benched earlier than the sport even started.
Earlier than The Thunder: How Thor Survived Hollywood’s Director Shuffle
Lengthy earlier than Chris Hemsworth swung the hammer, the challenge bounced between fingers. Sam Raimi as soon as had eyes on it after Darkman, however the studio shrugged. Years later, Matthew Vaughn was in, then out, after making an attempt to trim the finances. Guillermo del Toro was this shut, however ditched it for The Hobbit, which he additionally finally left. Lastly, Kenneth Branagh stepped in — sure, the Shakespeare man. He introduced gravitas and classical aptitude to one thing that might’ve simply turn out to be a CGI bloat-fest.
Branagh’s identify alone roped in heavyweights. Natalie Portman admitted, “I simply thought it appeared like a bizarre thought as a result of Kenneth Branagh’s directing it, so I used to be similar to, ‘Kenneth Branagh doing Thor is super-weird, I’ve gotta do it.’” Stellan Skarsgård and Idris Elba mentioned sure for a similar cause. It gave the movie credibility. Status. A shot at being greater than only a god with a hammer.
From Rejected To Worthy: How Hemsworth Fought For The Hammer
Hemsworth’s highway to Thor? It was tough. At one level, he didn’t even get a display check. One casting director shut him down early. His brother Liam examined as a substitute. Marvel handed. However Chris’ agent pushed again, obtained Feige to take one other look, and increase—second strive, display check, nailed it.
Whereas filming The Cabin within the Woods, he obtained comedian e book suggestions from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard to prep. Quickly sufficient, the golden locks have been on (together with dyed eyebrows), and Thor was official. Even Feige later cringed at that magnificence salon choice (by way of Slashfilm): “That poor man, we made him freaking dye his eyebrows!”
Thor’s First Flight Was Dangerous However Branagh Caught The Touchdown
Branagh walked a tightrope with that first film. Thor needed to be otherworldly however nonetheless click on with RDJ’s Tony Stark. So the movie performed it as a half-Shakespearean drama, half-space journey. Hemsworth leaned into the regal tone. The gods obtained their capes. The mortals obtained snark. And someway, it didn’t crumble.
The 2011 launch pulled in $449 million worldwide. Not Avengers-level, however a robust sufficient swing to show Thor belonged. It additionally gave us Tom Hiddleston’s Loki—arguably probably the most beloved villain within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). That casting? Spot on.
How Thor Went from Godly to Goofy and Saved His MCU Legacy
No MCU character modified as a lot as Thor. From the self-important thunder god of Thor to the cosmic goofball in Thor: Ragnarok, the reinvention was large. Feige himself admitted, “Hemsworth is Thor and he doesn’t want lengthy hair, or a cape, or a hammer, or two eyeballs to be Thor.” The MCU stopped chasing comedian e book seems to be and leaned into character, and it paid off.
Branagh obtained the ball rolling. Taika Waititi broke the mildew. And Hemsworth made positive Thor wasn’t written off in Marvel, however redefined.
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