Kevin Winter/Getty Images Actors Chris Hemsworth and Zoe Saldana speak onstage during the 2011 Teen Choice Awards.
Chris Hemsworth is an Australian actor, known for playing Captain Kirk’s dad in ‘Star Trek’ and Thor in the MCU. However, he almost played a completely different role in the MCU. Had things played out differently, Hemsworth might be better known for his work as a member of the X-Men, and not as a founding member of the Avengers. Here’s everything you need to know about how the MCU could have lost its Thor, and subsequently changed the look and feel of the whole MCU.
The Guy Who Plays Thor Almost Played Gambit Instead
In an interview with Variety, Hemsworth opened up about two roles he auditioned for, but ultimately didn’t land. One was the lead in “GI Joe” back in 2009, which ultimately went to Channing Tatum. The other was a role in an “X-Men” movie. That role (Remy LaBeau, aka Gambit) ultimately went to actor Taylor Kitsch, who played the Cajun superhero in the 2009 film “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. However, according to Hemsworth himself, landing the role of Gambit would have likely kept him from eventually becoming the god of thunder.
“I got very close to Gambit in the Wolverine ‘X-Men’ movies” Hemsworth told Variety. “At the time I was upset. I was running out of money. But if I played either of those characters, I wouldn’t have been able to play Thor.”
It’s unclear whether Hemsworth meant he wouldn’t be “able to play Thor” in that scenario due to potential scheduling conflicts, studio conflicts, or simply due to concerns about the fan ire that might result from having two Marvel characters played by the same actor. If the latter, that may not have ultimately been a cause for concern. Captain America himself, Chris Evans, played by the MCU version of Captain America, as well as Johnny Storm in the 2005 “Fantastic Four” film. That “FF” film was not part of the MCU, which technically began with “Iron Man” in 2007. Both “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” came out in 2009, with “Thor” hitting screens in 2011.
Chris Hemsworth Beat Out Lots of Big Stars to Play Thor
In which @ChrisHemsworth shows you how to use a bag of wine and a baguette in a fight
Before Chris Hemsworth ultimately got the role of Thor in the MCU, many other big names were being considered for the part. Slashfilm recounted reports that Brad Pitt was being eyed for the role at one point, with MTV reporting Channing Tatum and Alexander Skarsgard were also under consideration at one point.
One name that is often included in the list of “almost Thors” is actor Daniel Craig, best known for his work in the James Bond films. In fact, Daniel Craig was not offered the role of Thor by Marvel, nor did he turn it down when the studio reportedly offered it. According to Cinemablend, the misconception that Craig was approached to play the god of thunder stems from a joke Craig made during a press junket.
As an interesting aside, Tom Hiddleston, who played Loki in “Thor”, originally auditioned for the role of Thor himself. According to Entertainment Weekly, Hiddleston auditioned to play Thor, but the producers offered him the role of Loki instead after seeing his audition.
Hemsworth & His Wife Have Matching Tattoos
Hemsworth seems to have a predilection for matching tattoos. As seen in the Instagram post above, Hemsworth joined several of his MCU co-stars in getting matching tattoos. Hemsworth also has a matching tattoo with his wife.
Chris Hemsworth is married to Elsa Pataky. The couple have three children together, and also share matching tattoos. Those tattoos, which are a bit reminiscent of Thor because of their Runic style. According to Hello!, the Runic tattoo is a reference to the first initials of Hemsworth and Pataky, along with each of their children. According to the Independent, Pataky also has a Thor-inspired tattoo that predates her relationship with Hemsworth.
According to the BBC, other film stars have gotten matching tattoos to commemorate the time they spent on screen together, including the cast of the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy. TV stars are in on the trend, too, with Kaley Cuoco and Zosia Mamet recently spotted on Instagram getting matching tattoos in honor of their show, “The Flight Attendant”.
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MCU Star Almost Played a Different Marvel Character On-Screen