Thor’s half-brother, Balder the Brave, was mentioned for the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “1893,” the third episode of Loki Season 2, which debuted on Disney+ on Thursday, October 19.
Balder appears alongside Thor and their father Odin as wood-carved statues at the Norse pavilion at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) stumbles upon the statues with Mobius (Owen Wilson) while searching for Ravonna Renslayer. Loki immediately questions why the pavilion included Balder as “no one’s even heard of him.” Mobius, however, disagrees with Loki, saying, “Sure they have. Balder the Brave. You know sometimes I forget that you’re one of them. You are one of them. Blows my mind.”
Based on the deity Baldr from Norse mythology, Balder the Brave first appeared in Journey into Mystery #85, published by Marvel Comics in 1962. While the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby-created character doesn’t appear in as many Marvel adaptations as his half-brother Thor, he did appear in an episode of the Hulu animated series M.O.D.O.K. (2021).
Balder the Brave almost appeared in another MCU project
Marvel Studios originally had bigger plans for Balder the Brave in the MCU than a simple mention in an episode of Loki. Daniel Craig, best known for playing James Bond on the big screen, was cast as Balder in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Unfortunately for Balder fans, Craig exited the role reportedly due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, leading Marvel to replace the character with John Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic during reshoots.
However, fans can still see what Craig would have looked like as Balder the Brave thanks to concept art by Darrell Warner, which he shared on Instagram back in October 2022.
Created by Michael Waldron, the first season of Loki premiered on Disney+ in June 2021, following the Avengers: Endgame variant of Loki as he works alongside the Time Variance Authority (TVA) to stop threats to both the sacred timeline and the wider multiverse.
Loki is available to stream on Disney+.
