Not all characters that Marvel brings to life make it into their own Cinematic Universe. One who is still waiting for his appearance is a brother of Thor. Years ago, he was close to appearing in an MCU film.
Who is it about? Balder, also known as “Balder the Brave,” is a half-brother of Thor. He was born as the son of Odin and Frigga.
The character made his first appearance in 1962 in the comic “Journey into the Mystery #85.” Like many characters from Marvel, Balder also comes from the pen of veterans Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
If you only follow the MCU, the character may not mean anything to you, as he has not appeared in any film so far. However, in 2013 it almost happened – concept art shows what Balder would have looked like in the film Thor: The Dark Kingdom.
Balder was also not in part 3 of the Thor series – here you can see the trailer for it:
A mighty hero with a small weakness
What kind of drawings are these? Charlie Wen is an artist who has contributed to the visual design of various Marvel projects. This includes Thor: The Dark Kingdom, the second Thor film from the MCU.
On Instagram, Wen published two concept drawings depicting Balder and showing how he was supposed to appear in the film. In these, the character is seen in full armor and armed with two swords.
Why Balder ultimately did not make it into the finished film, and what his role was supposed to be, is unfortunately unknown.
The character would have been exciting nonetheless. He is extremely powerful and caused a stir even at birth. His father Odin had a dream in which it appeared that Balder’s death would bring about Ragnarök, meaning essentially the end of the world that leads to the destruction of Asgard.
To prevent this, Balder was endowed with immense power by his parents. He became invulnerable to almost all weapons, at least as long as he stays within Asgard.
Only one type of weapon could harm him: namely those made from the wood of the mistletoe. He himself possessed powerful abilities. Balder was not only physically strong, but he could also heal himself and, according to his role as the God of Light, create light beams that once even managed to melt the fortress of Utgard-Loki.
Will Balder appear in the MCU in the future? Currently, there is sadly no indication. Graham Churchyard, who worked as a costume designer on several MCU projects, revealed in a conversation with comicbook.com that Balder has been planned for a film several times.
He was supposed to appear in Thor 1, as mentioned in Thor 2, but also in the third part. Churchyard is skeptical about whether the character will be seen in cinemas in the future. Would you like to see an appearance by Balder? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Meanwhile, the creator of Balder may soon return to theaters: Marvel legend Stan Lee could soon return in films, but the manner has already upset fans
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