See Daniel Craig As Thor’s Brother In Doctor Strange Deleted Scene
Daniel Craig was meant to appear in Doctor Strange 2 as Thor's brother, and now we have that image.
This article is more than 2 years old
Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was rumored to have undergone significant changes after principal photography. The film also switched directors before production began and looked to have included more surprising cameos than what fans saw in the finished product. In a recent post on Instagram, concept artist Darrell Warner showed off a look of James Bond actor Daniel Craig as Balder the Brave. The character was initially set to appear in the Doctor Strange sequel.
It was reported in May 2022 that Daniel Craig nearly appeared as a member of The Illuminati. Deadline’s Justin Kroll revealed that John Krasinski wasn’t originally going to appear in the sequel and that Craig would’ve taken the chair instead. However, Craig dropped out of the project due to increased Covid cases in the UK.
Daniel Craig was set to play Balder the Brave, Thor’s Brother in the comics. The character reportedly would’ve been talked into suicide by Wanda. After Craig dropped out, Krasinski came on to play Reed Richards.
YouTube Channel Heavy Spoilers previously shared details regarding a deleted scene involving Balder the Brave. The costume designer of Doctor Strange 2, Graham Churchyard, revealed during his interview on the Phase Zero podcast from Comic Book that the team “got very far into designing” Daniel Craig’s character. Churchyard even mentioned that the character almost appeared in the previous Thor films.
A close look at the concept art clearly shows Daniel Craig in costume. Behind Craig are the rising sun and a couple of birds flanking him. Craig appears almost at peace and confident in his stance.
Daniel Craig’s Balder the Brave isn’t the only thing left out of Doctor Strange 2. Fight coordinator Liang Yang revealed on Instagram a brutal video of the stunt actor playing Scarlett Witch beheading a Kamar-tag warrior and using his corpse to murder his brethren. The extended fight sequence was cut from the film for obvious reasons.
In addition to the very violent fight sequence, screenwriter Michael Waldron revealed that Reed Richards was supposed to appear in a post-credit scene. It’s funny that Daniel Craig’s absence led to Mister Fantastic’s debut in the MCU when the creators intended to bring him into the fold later. At least fans know that Reed Richards will appear in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie in 2024.
Although Daniel Craig ultimately didn’t appear in the Marvel movie, famous artist, Bosslogic did draw up an amazing art of the actor as Mister Fantastic. The actor is still riding high off his long stint as 007 and is about to reprise his role as detective Benoit Blanc in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel Onion Glass. During an interview with Empire, Craig recently revealed that it took him quite a while to slip back into his accent for detective Blanc.
Maybe someday fans will see Daniel Craig in the MCU. His schedule has a bit more space now that he’s retired as James Bond. As for now, at least we have this fantastic artwork of him as Thor’s long-lost brother.
