Heimdall Cast

[redorion]

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Idris Elba has been as Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost bridge. One page from Thor #3 under the cut for legality.

Comments

[From: sherkahn]

Love the actor, but totally miscast.

If only the guys from 13th Warrior movie were still young.

[From: digital_femme]

This makes me sad because there's no way he'll get the role of Black Panther now. Also, that is some WTF casting right there.

[From: kenn_el]

Maybe they can get Brad Pitt to be the Black Panther. I wonder if Sif will still be Heimdall's sister?
All will be forgiven by me, though, if the Rainbow Bridge leads somewhere gay and FABULOUS!

[From: houbanaut]

That casting seems slightly ironic. Wikipedia, do your thing:

Heimdall (Old Norse Heimdallr, the prefix Heim- means home, the affix -dallr is of uncertain origin) is one of the Æsir (gods) in Norse mythology, called the "whitest of the gods" (ON Hvítastr-Ása).

[From: midnightvoyager]

*dies laughing*

That's... particularly... yeah.

[From: rani]

Yay Stringer Bell!!

[From: aaron_bourque]

Wait.

What?

Norse African god?

. . .

Shouldn't they have made him . . . not a Norse god?

Maybe . . . a black character? Like, if they're doing the whole Donald Blake thing, another doctor at the hospital Blake works for? Or a modern guy who dies and is carried off by Valkyries? Or Black Panther?

Or freakin' Falcon?

Norse. African. God.

I'm.

I just.

What?

[From: houbanaut]

I wonder if they felt that Norse mythology has been so tarnished by white supremacist/Nazi strains of thought that they needed to signal a clear break with all of that.

It's a bit of a WTF for those of us who're familiar with the myths and sagas (or the context of the Norse culture they came from), but given that the Marvel version of the Norse pantheon isn't particularly faithful to the original in the first place... eh, whatever. Elba is an excellent actor, so good on him!

[From: mullon]

So, when does the massive letter writing campaign to Marvel Studios to complain that they aren't accurately representing Norse culture start?

[From: grazzt]

The thing is, Marvel never did. It's a bit late to complain when they've been doing it for, what, forty or fifty years?

[From: foxhack]

Oh come on guys, there's BLACK people in Norway too!

I think!

[From: arbre_rieur]

Even if there weren't, Heimdall's not from Norway. He's from Asgard. The filmmakers could make them all purple-skinned and it'd still "make sense."

[From: cainofdreaming]

So, is Sif going to be black too then?

[From: sherkahn]

No, she will be Samoan (with no offense meant, lots of love to my pacific island cousins)

[From: ian_karkull]

I'd say the key to portraying Heimdall is staring intently and acting completely humorless and judging from that picture, I'd say he's got that down pretty well.

[From: tavella]

Ooooh, Stringer Bell! This is the first thing that made me enthusiastic about the movie -- I love Branagh when he's working in his own milieu, but I have severe doubts about his ability to do an action movie.

As for color -- who cares? It's not like the Marvel versions are authentic Norse.

[From: spiralsheep]

I have severe doubts about his ability to do an action movie.

I understand your doubts but (a) all RSC actors have sword-fighting training so Branagh has some relevant experience as a director and (b) considering the budget the fight scene in Henry V is rather good, no?

[From: unicornicopia]

Idris Elba? I'M SO THERE. *swoons*

[From: freezer]

Because when I think "Norse Mythology", I think "Scary Black Man".

[From: unicornicopia]

Scary? Seriously?

[From: dorksidefiker]

JUST as I saw this, I clicked on the most appropriate TVTrope to describe what we're seeing.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlackVikings

[From: halialkers]

Interesting.

I think people who consider skin-color relevant to the Ancient Pagans are backtracking anachronism, and Hell, Michael Clark Duncan was a Bad-Ass Kingpin. And the only good actor in that f*cking movie.

[From: arilou_skiff]

Oh, the vikings considered skin colour important. Although more "If you're brown that means you're out working" remember the story of how Heimdall gives rise to the class system? The descriptions are pretty clear: Slaves are brown skinned and dark-haired, freedmen are red-haired and ruddish, nobles are fair-haired and white-skinned.

Althugh considering his role in that store I actually find it fittingly ironic.

[From: valismedsen]

I think they may be adopting a gods-inhabiting-mortal-frames approach. Hence, a redhead Thor becomes a blond Doctor Blake, and Heimdall (or any god) can be any ethnicity, as long as the mortal is true to the gods purpose, or has the right spiritual affinity to receive its divinity (maybe a stern, watchful, perceptive man is needed to become Heimdall).

[From: skjam]

Agreed, it's clearly not just Thor who's being "rebodied" for this movie--maybe they're going with something similar to the recent reboot as the script?

[From: khamelea]

They're gods, not vikings.

It works.

[From: buttler]

When I think Heimdall I think penetrating gaze, so I'm really happy about this. Apprehensive about the movie in general because so much of Branagh's stuff has been terrible, but I do approve this casting.

[From: buttler]

What I really want to know is who's going to play the Lion of Asgard, voluminous Volstagg?

[From: thanekos]

Ray Stevenson.

You know, the Punisher in Punisher: War Zone.

oh, and Titus Pollo in Rome, if anyone watched that.

[From: hurricane-jam.livejournal.com]

blah blah blah, vikings are suppose to be white, oh, my poor norwegian ancestors must be rolling in their graves.

Pffffffffft. :p This guy's gorgeous! All the more reason to go see Thor. (although I'm sad this might hurt his changes of playing Black Panther)

He was up for Black Panther?

[From: jazzypom]

I thought it would have been Chiwetel Ejiofor. I really like him, he brings charm to every part. :)

Well

[From: mambalev]

If he is the only person who isn't white, its going to look sodding stupid.

If they want to make Asgard a mix, I don't see why not.

Re: Well

[From: valtyr]

Yeah, if everyone else is pasty white, it's going to look a bit token. I hope they have a mix of ethnicities - it's not like skin colours are an important aspect of the gods. (Well, Sif's hair colour is significant in the myths I guess. But I doubt it'll come up.)

[From: aulayan]

All I have to say is...I wouldn't care if they cast Eamonn Walker as Thor, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Loki...If they were the best actors for the part, Awesome.

And Idris Elba as Heimdall? I'd believe he was the best actor for the part as much as I believe Anthony Hopkins is the best actor for Odin.

Which I believe very, very much.

[From: magnetic_regina]

... why not?

I don't care as long as they cast some hot guy as Loki.

Priorities, yes.

[From: kusonaga]

I already figured I'd want to go see Thor, but this sealed the deal.

[From: kagome654]

He's pretty. I'm satisfied.

(What? I'm easy to please!)

[From: joysweeper]

Oooh, he's got pretty eyes. So what if he's black? Don't Norse gods get to change what they look like?