See Alexander Skarsgard As Marvel’s Hyperion
A fan artist offers his rendition of what Alexander Skarsgard would look like as Marvel's Hyperion.
Marvel looks to capture lightning in a bottle once more with its team-up film Thunderbolts. The film’s impressive cast of lovable misfit heroes is yet to be joined by a villain. Circulating rumors point to Ryan Gosling or Alexander Skarsgard taking on the Thunderbolts as the Marvel Comics character Hyperion, and one fan took to Instagram to offer his take on what that might look like.
The artist @clements.ink on Instagram posted a concept art piece featuring Alexander Skarsgard looking mighty dangerous as the powerful Hyperion. The character is often compared to DC’s Superman in terms of his abilities and origins, but Hyperion does not share the dutiful morality of the Big Blue Boyscout.
Hyperion first appeared in Avengers #69 in 1969 to battle Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as part of the Squadron Sinister. Two years later, Hyperion appeared in a reimagined Squadron Supreme, a heroic take on the previous iteration. Since then, different versions of Hyperion have appeared across Marvel’s multiverse with variations on the character’s backstory, allegiances, and looks.
Whether he’s battling the heroes of Earth or uniting himself as one of them, Hyperion is a complicated and immensely powerful character in the Marvel canon.
After showing off rippling muscles in 2016’s The Legend of Tarzan, Alexander Skarsgard was seen earlier this year in Universal’s The Northman. The actor once again impressed the world with a beyond human physique and animal brutality. Skarsgard’s swaggering and nuanced performance may serve as a preview for more to come in Thunderbolts.
Marvel Studios is said to be searching for an A-list actor who has yet to appear in a comic book movie for the new role. Ryan Gosling joins Alexander Skarsgard at the top of a list for potential candidates to play Hyperion. Gosling has more than one tie to the upcoming Marvel film.
The La La Land actor starred alongside the former Captain America, Chris Evans, in Netflix’s The Gray Man earlier this year. The film was helmed by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Gosling also starred alongside Harrison Ford in 2017’s Blade Runner 2049.
Ford, who is signed on to make his debut in the MCU in Captain America: New World Order, succeeds the late William Hurt in the role of General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. Ford is also scheduled to appear in Thunderbolts, along with a rag-tag roster of returning Marvel characters.
The movie brings back several Marvel characters with troubled pasts, to put it lightly. While we don’t yet know for sure if Alexander Skarsgard or anyone else will play Hyperion in the film; Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, and David Harbour return as their respective Marvel characters. They are joined by Ant-Man and the Wasp antagonist Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen, as well as Wyatt Russell’s super soldier US Agent and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is also set to return, and Daniel Bruhl is rumored to reprise his role as Baron Zemo, though the latter is unconfirmed.
Whoever takes on the job of battling the Thunderbolts will certainly have their hands full. If Alexander Skarsgard does turn out to make an appearance as Hyperion, these unlikely heroes may be the ones struggling to earn their keep. In any case, fans can expect a raucous good time with new and familiar faces taking the big screen in this superhero hodge-podge.
Thunderbolts is scheduled to strike the big screen July 26, 2024.
