Many years ago, there was a mere handful of movies under this Marvel Cinematic Universe banner, and a certain Tom Hiddleston was up for the role of Thor, before the character’s big screen debut.
While the Nordic god of thunder eventually became synonymous with Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, the casting process for the role went through some big names, including James Bond actor Daniel Craig, recent Northman star Alexander Skarsgård, and even Liam Hemsworth. One of the many to go for an audition was Tom Hiddleston, who was later cast as Thor’s brother Loki.
The audition tape was included in the DVD extras for Thor, and Marvel diehards are reliving the bizarre clip and pondering what could’ve been if Hiddleston had landed the hammer-wielding role. Heads up on some absolute Star Wars Kid vibes about how the clip looks, be warned.
Seeing Hiddleston in a blond wig and showing off his arms feels so far from the man we see today leading the Loki series for Disney Plus. The black void backdrop does not compliment how wacky he looks in that wig, it has to be said. Though, this might just be what Loki does in his personal time in between pulling mischievous pranks.
It’s fair to say the tape hasn’t sold anyone on the idea of Hiddleston in the role, although fans do now wonder if we’ll get a sneaky gag about this in the currently-filming second season of Loki. Is there a universe out there where Loki has the powers of his brother? Probably.
There’s been plenty of “nearly” moments in Marvel’s casting history, with others wondering if we’ll ever get our hands on the auditions John Krasinski did for the role of Captain America.
We’ll get to enjoy Hiddleston as Loki again very soon, with the second season of the eponymous series due mid-2023.