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So, here’s a fun throwback: Idris Elba once pitched Matthew McConaughey as the perfect young Odin for the MCU. Yep, Thor’s dad. Elba, who killed it as Heimdall in the Thor movies, was all in on the idea after working with McConaughey in The Dark Tower. He even said, “He could be Thor’s dad. Play a young version of him. Smash it.” Bold, right?
Now, if you’re thinking, McConaughey as Odin? Seriously?—same here. But let’s not forget, this was post-McConaissance. The man had left his rom-com era in the dust and was straight-up slaying in Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar, and True Detective. By then, McConaughey wasn’t just back in the A-list club—he was running the show. Marvel even tried to reel him in for Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Sadly, those didn’t pan out.
Elba’s idea might’ve sounded a little out there—especially considering McConaughey’s Texan twang doesn’t exactly scream ‘All-Father of Asgard.’ Anthony Hopkins already nailed the elder Odin vibe with his Shakespearean gravitas. But hey, stranger things have happened in Marvel’s casting playbook.
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