Owen Wilson Cast In Undisclosed Role For Disney Plus Marvel Cinematic Universe Show ‘Loki’
Donald Edmonds
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Marvel Studios has reportedly cast Owen Wilson in an undisclosed role in the upcoming Loki series starring Tom Hiddleston.
The casting, originally reported by ComicBook.com indicates Wilson role in the show will be “major.” However, no details about his role or who he will be playing were shared, and Disney has not commented on the casting at the time of this writing.
There’s a lot of buzz going on in the social media-sphere that he could be playing Balder the Brave, Marvel’s take on the Norse mythological god Baldr.
Balder the Brave
Balder in the comics is the half-brother of Thor, son of Odin. His mother was Frigga, as Thor’s mother was Gaea, a primeval Earth goddess whose life essence flows through all life on Earth. Frigga is the mother of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by Rene Russo.
Balder the Brave is the god of light, and his speed is what separates him from his half-brother Thor and his adopted brother Loki. As the god of light, he is as quick as the “speed of light,” making it almost impossible to strike a blow against him. Even if his speed fails him, he is nigh invulnerable because of a spell cast on him by his mother Frigga, as his death portends the Ragnarok event.
The Movies and the Divergent Timelines
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Asgard is established on earth as New Asgard. It serves as a small fishing village, with only half the inhabitants of the original kingdom having survived both the onslaught of Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, as well as the snap event at the end of that same film.
There were plans to introduce Balder the Brave in the Marvel Cinematic Universe all the way back in the days of Thor: The Dark World. Those plans were eventually scrapped in development, as creatives on the film wanted to focus on Thor and Loki’s relationship.
So, Frigga is Thor’s mother. And Ragnarok already happened. This despite Balder not even being introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, in Avengers: Endgame, a version of Loki slipped out of the grasp of the Avengers following the events of the Battle of New York City in the first Avengers film. This creates a diverging timeline where he escaped imprisonment on Asgard. It also means the events of Thor: The Dark World in this diverged timeline would change drastically. And the butterfly effect changes the events of Thor: Ragnarok as well. And it presumed that it is this version of Loki that we will be following during his solo series.
This could be a way to introduce Balder as a true son of Frigga, as he is in the comics. It also may introduce Gaea as the true mother of Thor, thus retconning Rene Russo’s role in the films. This would line up more with the comics where Frigga filled the role of Thor’s surrogate mother in the absence of Gaea.
The Typecast Wilson
Wilson has had a lengthy film career dating back to 1996. From his minor role in The Cable Guy all the way to his role as the voice of Lightning McQueen in Cars 3. For the most part, his roles have been comedic, and mostly portraying the typical “nice guy.” For Wilson to land a role as a key character in Loki could be a challenge to his acting ability. Unless they write the character to his typical portrayals.
He’s 51 years old, though he may not look like it. Keeping in mind that he’s only a year older than Paul Rudd. And just three years younger than Robert Downey Jr. He may not have the spunk to carry an action scene as RDJ did for the first Iron Man film.
But what do you think of the casting news? Who do you think Wilson will play in the Loki Disney Plus series? Let us know in the comments below or let’s talk about it on social media!
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