Ever since Russell Crowe was cast in Thor: Love and Thunder, fans were obsessed with who he was possibly playing. It didn’t take long for the actor himself to leak details of his role, and when he did, it all made sense. Having plenty of Gods in a movie centered around Gorr the God Butcher seemed like a no-brainer, so Crowe's casting as Zeus, the God of Lightning, only added to the intrigue.
When the second trailer arrived, audiences were able to experience and laugh at the “mind-blowing” performance given by the famous actor. But were there ever any other characters that the actor may have played in the movie? Or was his fate always with the iconic Greek God?
In fact, it seems that there was at least one: Satan. Instead of the Greek God of Lightning, the famous actor could have been the embodiment of evil itself. But what would this alternate take have looked like?
Russell Crowe as Satan?
Thanks to concept artist Miles Teves, audiences can now see who Russell Crowe once played in Thor: Love and Thunder instead of Zeus.
According to his new posts, Teves was told that “Russell Crowe might be having a comedic cameo as Satan” and joked that “hopefully [that wasn’t changed] because [they] saw [his] drawings:”
“I was told by the good folks at Odd Studio down in Australia who commissioned this art that Russell Crowe might be having a comedic cameo as Satan in the new Thor: Love and Thunder. It didn't work out that way. Hopefully, it wasn't because he saw my drawings.”
His first piece of art depicting the character was in black and white and saw Crowe sitting on a throne with a chopped-off limb in his hand, surrounded by flames.
Teves took “another shot at [Russell Crowe] as the Devil,” as he was told to better match the character “being humorously debauched:”
“Another shot at old Russ as the Devil for Thor: Love and Thunder. The folks at Odd Studio told me to depict him at his current weight due to his character being humorously debauched. Naturally, I would have modeled for this drawing myself were my current physique not so rippling and svelte.”
His second attempt showcases Satan sprawled out across a coach, looking a lot more relaxed and casual than before.
Obviously, in the end, audiences got Crowe’s Zeus instead. He can be seen wearing a golden chest plate and holding a massive gold lightning-shaped weapon.
Special thanks to The Direct reader Marko Lavín for pointing this out to us.
Satan, Zeus, or Mephisto?
Many might be scratching their head to see that Russell Crowe was once considered for Satan, especially considering he isn’t really a God. But more importantly, does this mean Marvel was considering having this version of the Devil over Mephisto?
For those who don’t know the name, Mephisto is basically the devil of the Marvel Universe. He has his own realm and plays a massive part in many comic storylines—though he isn’t generally considered a God.
Many fans were convinced the character was previously set to appear in WandaVision. In fact, he was so heavily rumored that he’s basically become a meme—every MCU conspiracy theory gets attributed to the red-horned villain.
In the end, it certainly seems like Marvel made the right choice in going with Zeus. Not only was it a much better fit for Russell Crowe, but also for the film’s story. Why would Thor or his compatriots ever think that going to Satan for any reason would have ended well? It's at least understandable for good ol' Zeus.
Though, if a Satan-esque figure is what they wanted at one point, it's odd that a version of him as Hades never made it to the concept phase.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters worldwide.
