We learned a few days ago that “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” screenwriter Michael Waldron had suggested including Tom Cruise as Iron Man in the film. It turns out another famous actor was even closer to appearing in the crossover event: Daniel Craig.
Warning: spoilers are below.
A significant portion of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” takes place in another universe where Stephen Strange meets the Illuminati, a group of superheroes comprised of Professor X, Baron Mordo, Maria Rambeau’s Captain Marvel, Captain Carter, Black Bolt, and Mr. Fantastic. The latter was played by John Krasinski, but Deadline’s Justin Kroll tweeted that a different actor was originally set to appear instead.
Kroll included a gif of Daniel Craig, implying he was the actor in question, and said he backed out because of a rise in COVID-19 cases in the U.K. at the time.
While Kroll’s tweet implied Craig may have been cast as Mr. Fantastic, Twitter user @heavyspoilers later shared that he was set to play Balder the Brave, as reported by The Direct.
In the comics, Balder was an Asgardian and Thor’s brother. He would have been talked into killing himself by Wanda.
In reshoots, they replaced Balder’s role with Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic. As the original tweet Kroll replied to states, much of the Illuminati scenes were shot in pieces because of the busy schedules of the actors involved.
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