Last month Marvel announced that Russell Crowe would be joining the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder. The role wasn't specified, but now we might know exactly which character Crowe is set to play.
Crowe casually leaked this news himself in an interview with Australian radio show JOY Breakfast with the Murphys. That's surprising given how Marvel likes to keep a lid on these things. Spoilers ahead, obviously.
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There had been rumors that Crowe would play an Asgardian actor playing Thanos. Much like How Matt Damon played a fictional version of Loki in Thor: Ragnarok, and is set to return in the upcoming movie. But according to Crowe he’ll be playing the Greek god Zeus.
Jump ahead to the last minute of the interview and you’ll hear the words straight from the actor’s mouth. Crowe said, without any prompting: “I’m going to get on my bicycle. I’m going to ride up to Disney Fox Studios and around about 9:15, I shall be Zeus! It’s for Thor. It’s my last day of Zeus-ing about, and I’m going to enjoy it.”
It’s strange to hear a Marvel star so casually reveal who they’re playing without some sort of official announcement. Normally the studio keeps such a tight lid on things, and we’ve had actors deny their involvement in projects only for Marvel to officially confirm it a few weeks later.
Then again this isn’t the first time a big actor has casually spilled some Marvel casting secrets in an interview. Just last week Alfred Molina confirmed he was returning as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The same version of the character that seemingly died in 2004 at the end of Spider-Man 2.
It’s not clear what sort of role Zeus will actually play in Thor 4, assuming Crowe isn’t lying. When his casting was announced at the end of March, Deadline referred to the role as “a fun little cameo” meant to surprise fans.
So the likelihood is that Crowe’s role isn’t particularly big. Plus, considering Christian Bale is playing a character called “Gorr the God Butcher," we don’t expect Crowe to last very long. In fact his role may also double as a way to showcase how dangerous Thor’s latest foe really is.
But there’s some good news, even if Crowe’s Zeus is killed off pretty quickly. While not as high-profile as the Asgardians, the Greek pantheon does play a major role in Marvel comics. Typically involving Zeus’s son Hercules, who has been a member of many a superhero team over the decades. In other words this may lead to the introduction of a classic Marvel hero somewhere down the line.
Thor: Love and Thunder is due for release on May 6 2022, and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster/Thor, and Chrsitian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. Other returning characters will include the Guardians of the Galaxy, Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster, Meik, and Taika Waititi’s Korg.
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