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Credit: Marvel StudiosFor most people, Chris Hemsworth is Thor, God of Thunder, full-stop, no questions asked. But it turns out that Marvel Studios was hedging its bets when it came to casting one of the original Avengers.
Chris Hemsworth has been one of the keystones of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since he debuted in Thor (2011), eventually emerging as both a comedic and tragic leader among the Avengers. While he has always been defined by his relationship with his adopted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), it seems that the studio was not always certain that would be the case.
In a recent interview with The Seaman Says Squad, Tom Hiddleston revealed that his contract with Marvel Studios actually gave him the option to play either Thor, God of Thunder, or Loki, God of Mischief, depending on how things went.
Related: Marvel Star Discusses Female Loki and Thor Crossover
Tom Hiddleston explained that he had a bizarrely specific contract that allowed him to play either Marvel character, saying, “It was really curious… This is very much par for the course in the business, but I signed– Basically, they pre-negotiated my contract before going in [for the audition] and I signed it. But I noticed on that morning, it said, ‘Marvel Studios has the right to cast Tom Hiddleston in the role of…’ and there was a blank. And somebody had written, ‘Thor/Loki.'”
Famously, Tom Hiddleston gave a screen test for Thor that ultimately resulted in him playing the hero’s adversary, but things seemed to have worked out. The Marvel actor continued, “I remember being called into Kevin Feige’s office for the first time, and he said, ‘Look, congratulations… Loki is a great role, and Thor’s going to be a great movie, but I want to talk to you about Avengers.'”
It turns out that Marvel already knew how the characters would develop from there, as the actor said, “[A]fter that, very shortly, they called Chris Hemsworth and me on the same day, and they said, ‘Look, we’re gonna build these two characters together, introduce them at the same time, and you’re gonna have this massive journey.’ Because also, Chris and I, we thought we were auditioning for one movie.”
Related: Marvel Reportedly Plans To Retcon ‘Thor’ Franchise After ‘Love and Thunder’ Failure
Ultimately, Tom Hiddleston went on to star in the Disney+ series Loki, which remains one of the most popular and acclaimed MCU series on the streaming platform. If he had any doubt about which character he should play, it turns out that the fans have decided otherwise.
Do you think that Tom Hiddleston would have been a better Thor? Tell us in the comments below!