Skurge is a pretty minor character in Marvel Comics, generally popping up whenever the writer needs a sufficiently powerful opponent for Thor to beat up on. So, it was a slight eyebrow-raiser when Taika Waititi managed to cast Karl Urban in the role for Thor: Ragnarok.
Of course, anyone that’s seen the movie will know that Skurge turned out to be a pretty damn cool character, especially when he got his hands on some M16s and let loose (they even managed to fit a DOOM reference into that scene). And in a recent appearance at Dallas Fan Days 2018, Urban explained exactly why he took the role, saying:
“I got a call from Taika saying ‘Listen, I’m shooting this movie, there’s great role in it. Have a look at it. I’ll send you some concept art of the character.’ Which looked rad, shaved head, armor. I read the script and saw that there was quite a fantastic arc for the character and I really responded to that. That he was really a survivalist, that he started his journey in one place and then had to do a deal with the devil and the cost of that was and then how he really came back at the end and ended up doing the right thing morally, which was a fantastic little arc.”
Based on everything I’ve heard about Taika Waititi’s directorial style, I’d jump to be part of his productions, too. There’s just an infectious sense of fun to his movies, as well as the trust he places in actors to come up with funny improvisations (as Tom Hiddleston explained recently). Plus, Urban’s totally right about Skurge’s surprisingly complex arc, especially when Hela names him her executioner and he’s clearly deeply uncomfortable and conflicted about what he has to do.
Sadly, given that Skurge sacrificed his life to allow the Asgardians to escape in Thor: Ragnarok, we probably won’t be seeing him in the MCU again anytime soon. That said, there’s a whole bunch of dead characters returning to life in Avengers 4, so who knows whether we’ve seen the last of Skurge. I’m betting he’s as brown as brown bread can get, but you never know.