Thor: Love and Thunder had many mythological gods present. However, it turns out Marvel Studios almost added the Devil himself in the movie.
Love and Thunder explored the realm of the gods as Thor and company sought help in fighting off the film’s villain, Gorr the God Butcher. The mythological gods featured in the movie include the Roman Goddess Minerva, the Kronan god Ninny of the Nonny, the Wakandan deity Bast, and the Greek God Zeus played by Russell Crowe.
Early concept art shared after Thor 4 was released revealed that Marvel had plans to have Satan appear in the movie. The character development went beyond just concept art with prosthetics and makeup also being created for Satan.
The Australian prosthetic and creature design company Odd Studio shared some photos of their work with Satan on their Instagram account. Septimus Caton played the part of Satan in the early makeup tests for Thor: Love and Thunder.
Russell Crowe as the Devil
Artist Miles Teves also shared on Instagram that Russell Crowe was originally envisioned for the role of Satan in Thor 4. The artist revealed that Crowe would have a comedic cameo in the movie.
“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 & Thunder’,” Teves wrote. “It didn’t work out that way. Hopefully it wasn’t because he saw my drawings. Though I’d understand.”
In a follow-up post, the artist shared that Odd Studio wanted the Devil to be designed as “humorously debauched.”
However, Marvel went with Crowe being cast as the Olympian God Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder. Fans loved his comedic take on the king of the Olympians. Zeus’ antics were the polar opposite of the seriousness of Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher.
Will the Devil be in the MCU?
While the Devil did not make it to Thor: Love and Thunder, it does not mean that it will be the end of the character. There have been rumors that Mephisto is coming to the MCU at some point in the future. Fans suggest that the character may be part of the Fantastic Four or a future Doctor Strange movie. Mephisto and the Devil have many parallels in the Marvel comic books.
Fans have speculated that Mephisto may also be part of the WandaVision spin-off Agatha: Coven of Chaos, with some even suggesting that Sacha Baron Cohen will be taking on the role.
Wherever Mephisto or the Devil ends up appearing, audiences already have an idea of how he’ll look like. With all the work that has been done on the character, it seems like it will only be a matter of time before he becomes part of the MCU.
Thor: Love and Thunder is available for streaming on Disney+.
