Daniel Craig has reigned as the sleuth extraordinaire in Hollywood for the last decade and a half and with it ushered in a new era of Bond decadence. But with him now retired and the 007 franchise undergoing a full-blown makeover, most of us would remember him as the sublime mediation existing between a misogynistic past and a progressive future. However, no matter how exceptional that makes him, this isn’t the only identity of Daniel Craig in his extensive professional career as an actor.
Also read: James Bond: 10 Ways Daniel Craig’s 007 Grew From The First To Last Bond Movie
Daniel Craig’s Illuminati Role Was the Shortest One Yet
For quite some time now, the idea of Daniel Craig appearing in the MCU has been liberally floating around, especially when it involves discussions about the Asgardian God of Thunder. In May 2022, amid the fanfare surrounding Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, news surfaced from Deadline reporter, Justin Kroll, about the Bond actor being almost cast in the film as Thor’s older brother, Balder the Brave, who would go on to appear as a member of the Earth-838 Illuminati.
Also read: Doctor Strange 3: Every Potential Member Who Could Become the New Illuminati of Earth-838
However, the decision which would have proven just as riotous as the current cast of ensemble yet short-lived Illuminati was not followed through. Due to the rising Covid cases in London at the time of the film’s shooting, Daniel Craig reportedly backed out at the last minute, leading to the fan casting of John Krasinski as Mister Fantastic. Until that moment, however, the designers on the Doctor Strange 2 crew had been ready with their concept art and watercolors to render their vision true by putting Craig in the magnificent Asgardian suit.
Daniel Craig’s Balder the Brave Concept Art Revealed
Shortly after Justin Kroll’s tweet, Graham Churchyard, Doctor Strange 2 costume designer revealed they had gotten “very far designing Balder the Brave” and that the design had even reached a prototype stage. The only step remaining was the casting of an actor. Only recently did the actual designs get revealed via an Instagram post by concept artist, Darrell Warner, who captioned his picture saying: “BALDER THE BRAVE | Shame this character went no further than this watercolor | Y’all know the story, and if not just go and look it up online…”
This reflects what Churchyard had previously revealed regarding the character that is forever fated to remain beyond the scope of a live-action debut. According to him, Balder the Brave had almost made it to every Thor movie in the franchise dating back to the Kenneth Branagh film.
“Poor Balder the Brave, he almost made Thor 1, and Thor 2, and Thor 3, if I can simplify that. Then, it’s just like, ‘Yay! He’s gonna get an appearance!’ Poor guy. I’ve seen designs Marvel’s archive book of Balder’s helmet going back to Kenneth Branagh’s Thor. So, he’s been a long time waiting and I don’t think he’s gonna make an appearance any time soon.”
Seeing as how Daniel Craig had almost made that dream a reality for many comic fans, it can’t be that distant a future when Marvel finally makes sure that the actor gets an opportunity to swagger into the universe in all his blue-and-gold Asgardian glory, preferably before Secret Wars.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: Instagram
