Glass Onion's Daniel Craig responds to Doctor Strange rumours

"I don't know where these things come from."

By Dan Seddon

30 Dec 2022

Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images

Glass Onion star Daniel Craig has laughed off rumours connecting him to a scrapped role in this year's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

In one standout sequence from the MCU sequel, Benedict Cumberbatch's egotistical sorcerer is brought in front of The Illuminati: a panel of alternate-dimension superheroes in the form of John Krasinski's Mr Fantastic, Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter, Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Anson Mount's Black Bolt and Lashana Lynch's Captain Marvel.

According to the rumour mill, though, Craig was at one point slated to play either Mr Fantastic or big-screen newcomer Balder the Brave.

"It's all rumour. I mean, I don't know where these things come from," the actor told BBC Radio 1.

"There's a lot of lockdown craziness. There was a time where you had to put COVID at the end of every sentence."

In case his name doesn't ring a bell, light-manipulator and super-strong Balder is heavily associated with the Asgardian side of the Marvel universe, thanks to his standing as Thor's half-brother.

Marvel Comics

Meanwhile, costume designer Graham Churchyard previously opened up about Balder's delayed entrance to the MCU in a chat with ComicBook.

"We got very far designing Balder the Brave [for Multiverse of Madness] and then we were waiting, and waiting, and waiting on casting. I took it to a prototype stage, we were kind of in that design thing, getting fabrics together and ideas and waiting for an actor," he revealed.

"Poor Balder the Brave, he almost made Thor 1, and Thor 2, and Thor 3, if I can simplify that. Then, it's just like, 'Yay! He's gonna get an appearance!' Poor guy. I've seen designs Marvel's archive book of Balder's helmet going back to Kenneth Branagh's Thor.

"So, he's been a long time waiting and I don't think he's gonna make an appearance any time soon."

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is streaming on Disney+.