Who is Balder the Brave? Daniel Craig's possible take on Thor's half-brother in scrapped Doctor Strange 2 appearance

Balder the Brave was recently reported by many outlets to have almost made an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

None other than James Bond actor Daniel Craig was set to star in the role. Unfortunately, things didn't work out, and the actor had to drop out of the role.

For the uninitiated, Balder the Brave has had a long history in Marvel Comics. He is the half-brother of a pretty famous Nordic God that wields a hammer.

So, with that being said, let's explore exactly who the character is and where he would have fit in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

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Exploring Balder the Brave's origins as he was rumored to appear in Doctor Strange 2

Balder Odinson, better known as Balder the Brave, is the half-brother of Thor and son of Odin. He is also a companion to the Warriors Three.

Balder in the comics (Image via Marvel Comics)

Like actual Norse Mythology, in the Marvel universe, Blader was also known to be a catalyst for Ragnarok, which foretold the destruction of Asgard.

This caused Odin to make his Frigga cast a spell on him, which would make him invincible to any harm. But before she could do that, during a battle with the Frost Giants, Balder would leave the battlefield to help a bird back into its nest and reunite it with its family.

This would cause Odin to be enraged, who would command arrows to be shot at Balder. Hence, him having the title of Balder the Brave.

A comic cover featuring Balder (Image via Marvel Comics)

At the last moment, he is saved by an eagle. Seeing as how Balder didn't flinch at all, Odin would consider him the bravest among everyone and grant him invulnerability. Unfortunately, he would still be vulnerable to mistletoe.

He is one of the most beloved gods in Asgard. Many love him to the point where they are ready to give up their life to save him from Odin.

While he is invulnerable to all threats, Loki still had him killed when the blind god Hoder accidentally launched a mistletoe at Balder the Brave.

Balder the Brave is then brought back to life again due to Thor using the portions of energy that were donated by other gods. After being brought back to life, Balder would be quite traumatized from the entire experience.

Being sent to Hel, he saw the souls of everyone he had slain. This would make him renounce killing. It would be revealed that to escape Hel, he would be forced by Hela to kill all those he had killed in battle again.

Daniel Craig (Image via Twitter)

In the MCU, we would have seen Balder the Brave as part of the Illuminati. He would be present in the scene, and actor Daniel Craig was also cast. Unfortunately, it wouldn't come to fruition because of COVID cases rising in the UK.

According to some reports, Craig would have reportedly played a version of Mr Fantastic.

Unfortunately, due to COVID, he would have to decline that. John Krasinski would, later on, step into the role of Mr Fantastic and portray him, fulfilling many of the fancast requests.

Hopefully, we do see Balder sometime in the MCU.