Early concept art for Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder has surfaced online depicting Russell Crowe as the Devil instead of the Greek god Zeus. The Taika Waititi-directed superhero sequel included a variety of mythological gods, but it didn’t even allude to the inclusion of Satan himself.
Concept artist Miles Teves went to Instagram to reveal the devilish concept art featuring Crowe as Satan, including two images that depict the character sitting down comfortably with a severed, half-eaten leg in his hand. Evidently, the idea does not seem to have reached past the early development stage. But according to Teves, Odd Studio, an Australian special effects company that worked on Love and Thunder, commissioned the art from him in hopes to see how the Oscar-winning actor would fare as a comedic version of the Devil.
“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’. It didn’t work out that way. Hopefully it wasn’t because he saw my drawings. Though I’d understand.”
Though the images released are from the early development stage, it shows how determined the production was to give Crowe a juicy and comedic role in the film. Moreover, it may shed light on how the MCU may portray the character in future projects, utilizing the classic characterization of the Satanic figure instead of his Marvel Comics counterpart, Mephisto.
In the film, Zeus is featured as the ruler of the Olympic gods with Crowe delivering a performance that Collider’s Ross Bonaime calls “delightfully over-the-top” in his spoiler review. As mentioned, there is no sign of the Devil in the film, but it’s clear that Crowe was on the minds of the filmmakers long before they settled on the Greek god. If the monster box-office numbers are any indication, expect the MCU to introduce more fan-favorite characters from his part of the universe sooner rather than later.
The fourth film in the Thor franchise finds Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster wielding Mjolnir as The Mighty Thor, while Tessa Thompson returns as the new ruler of Asgard. Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor will be forced to battle Gorr the God Butcher, a vengeful new foe that is targeting the MCU’s entire pantheon of mythological gods. Love and Thunder also sees the Guardians of the Galaxy return to the big screen after Thor left with them at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Back in the director’s chair after reinvigorating the franchise with Ragnarok, Waititi has his hands full with the God of Thunder’s latest adventure.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now in theaters nationwide. Check out the early concept art below:
