With the sheer number of characters needed to populate the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it takes a lot of actors to bring them to life. At this point, it would seem that everybody in Hollywood with a pulse has at least been offered a part in the MCU, whether or not they ended up doing it. Apparently, even actors who had been out of the limelight for sometime were also considered for parts, as Mel Gibson says he was offered the part of Thor’s father, Odin, though he decided against it.
The former Lethal Weapon star is working his way back into the limelight with Blood Father, which looks like Mel Gibson’s take on Taken, except with biker gangs in place of the human traffickers. Gibson himself calls it the "dad version of the action guy." In an interview with the Guardian at the Cannes Film Festival, the actor was asked about his thoughts on the superhero genre, and if he’d ever been approached for a role in one of the big budget blockbusters. As it turns out, yes, he was.
Yeah, long time ago, to play Thor’s dad. But I didn’t do it.
Mel Gibson does not elaborate at all on the statement, so we don’t really know why he turned down the role of Odin. Gibson is, overall, complimentary of the genre, calling out Guardians of the Galaxy and the first Iron Man as movies he enjoyed, although, he seems to have appreciated them most for their humor and humor is something that the Thor franchise has been struggling with. It’s possible that Gibson just didn’t think it was funny enough, Odin didn’t get many of the jokes that were there to begin with. Thor: Ragnarok will attempt to change this with Taika Waititi behind the camera. That guy knows funny, this much is clear.
Having now seen Sir Anthony Hopkins play the part of Odin in two films, it’s difficult to imagine anybody else playing the part. Still, The first Thor was directed by Kenneth Branagh. The idea of seeing the men behind two of the great modern interpretations of Hamlet working together could have been awesome.
The early word on Blood Father appears to be pretty good, so maybe Mel Gibson has finally found the movie to make him a major Hollywood star once again. If so, maybe he’ll get a second bite at the comic book movie apple. Should Marvel find something new for him, or is there a DCEU role that would be a better fit? Let us know which comic book character you’d like to see Mel Gibson play on screen.
