MCU fans have realised that a major character from the early Thor films was actually recast, and they’re divided on which version is better.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe sometimes recasts characters when needed.
While we all love Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, these characters were originally played by Edward Norton and Terrence Howard in their debut films.
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More recently, we’ve seen Marvel recast Thaddeus Ross, with Harrison Ford taking over the role from William Hurt, who died in 2022.
With a series that has gone on for so long, you’re bound to have to recast the roles every now and then.
Now, MCU fans are just realising that a key character from the original Thor films was recast too.
Before he was Shazam, actor Zachary Levi played Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. In the first Thor film though, the character was played by Josh Dallas.
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Levi was originally supposed to play Fandral from the beginning, but he was working on Chuck at the time and the role went to Josh Dallas instead.
When it came to the sequel, Dallas was unavailable this time, so Fandral was recast with Levi.
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“I preferred the original (Josh),” wrote one comment on Reddit. “He had more swagger and charm, and looked more kempt.”
“What does it say about me as a person that I didn’t notice?” wrote another comment. In all fairness, both actors look pretty similar when put through the hair and costuming.
Other fans want Fandral to come back with Levi reprising the role, despite the character’s apparent death in Thor: Ragnarok.
“If they ever revisit Valhalla in the future, it’d be fun to see him and the rest of the Warriors Three appear,” wrote a comment on Reddit.
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After filming Thor: Ragnarok, Levi was cast as Shazam in the DC Extended Universe, playing the character for two films.
He also had a recurring role on The Marvelous Ms. Maisel playing Dr. Benjamin Ettenberg.