The Thor movie was one of the cornerstones of the early Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuting in 2011 and leading directly into the first Avengers movie. The Thor franchise is still going strong, with the fourth film, Thor Love And Thunder, due in 2022--but the Thor franchise might have been very different if early attempts in the '90s had been successful.

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After he made Darkmandirector Sam Raimi pitched a Thor movie back in the early '90s to 20th Century Fox, but the movie never got off the ground. If it had, the Marvel Cinematic Universe might have gotten started much sooner with the Norse God Of Thunder leading the way. Here's who might have been in the cast.

Darcy Lewis / Mari Morrow

Darcy Mari Morrow

Darcy Lewis is a great character who wasn't utilized the best in the first two Thor movies but has found some new life in WandaVision. Kat Dennings brings a lot of fun and charm to the role, and if Darcy had been cast back in the '90s, Mari Morrow might have gotten the nod.

Morrow brought a lot of fun and charm to her role as Eddie's girlfriend Oneisha in the '90s hit comedy Family Matters. She also starred in a number of other television sitcoms and movies, including Virtuosity with Denzel Washington.

Sif / Selma Blair

Sif MCU Selma Blair

Jamie Alexander played the warrior Sif in the first two Thor movies and also in an episode of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. She didn't get a chance to do much with the small role, unfortunately. Selma Blair would have been great in the part.

As she showed in the two Hellboy movies, she has the comic book movie chops for the action scenes. Blair is somewhat reserved in her performances, which would be a great contrast with the big bombastic quality of some of the other characters.

Malekith / Joanna Lumley

Malekith MCU Joanna Lumley

Thor: The Dark World is generally regarded as the least successful of the Thor movies. Some of that is to do with the villain of Malekith being wasted in the movie. Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston was good in the role, but a different kind of antagonistic energy might have emerged from British actress Joanna Lumley.

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Lumley is perhaps best known for her role as Eddie's co-dependent best friend Patsy on Absolutely Fabulous, and it's there that her ability to play real menace comes through. Patsy is someone who just wants what she wants, like Malekith, often regardless of the cost.

Heimdall / Richard Brooks

Heimdall MCU Richard Brooks

Heimdall is another significant character in the Thor movies who maybe didn't get his due. Played with steely intensity by Idris Elba, Heimdall sees all in Asgard and even beyond.

A great fit for the character back in the '90s would have been longtime television actor Richard Brooks. Brooks played the reserved but focused Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette (and later a defense attorney) on Law And Order back in the '90s and is also an alum of Firefly and The Flash.

Valkyrie / Rosario Dawson

Valkyrie MCU Rosario Dawson

Valkyrie is one of the best parts of Thor Ragnarok, with Tessa Thompson bringing both warmth and grit to the tragic Asgardian survivor. It's hard to picture someone else in the role, but in the '90s, Rosario Dawson would have been an excellent choice.

She is proving her skill as a cosmic warrior as the iconic Jedi Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian and will soon feature in the Ahsoka limited series. Dawson got her start in acting in the 1995 independent movie Kids.

Hela / Sigourney Weaver

Hela MCU Sigourney Weaver

Hela is one of the best MCU villains and that's in large part thanks to the catty performance by actress Cate Blanchett. A longtime actress who would have been perfect in the '90s is Sigourney Weaver.

Weaver is famous for several iconic movies, including Alien, Aliens, and Ghostbusters. She can play comedy and drama with ease and has been a villain, particularly in the Marvel Netflix series The Defenders, a classic superhero team that could be reinterpreted for the MCU.

Odin / Sean Connery

Odin MCU Sean Connery

Odin is a legendary figure in Norse mythology, and Sir Anthony Hopkins was a perfect choice for the role thanks to his Shakespearian bombast. Another legendary British actor who would have been perfect for the role in the '90s is Sean Connery.

In the '90s, Connery played a few older action stars like in The Rock, one of his best roles. He brought a grizzled old charm and a theatrical bearing to many of these roles and would have for Odin as well.

Jane Foster / Kate Winslet

Jane Foster MCU Kate Winslet

Jane Foster will become Thor in the upcoming Thor: Love And Thunder, with Natalie Portman back in the role. Portman brings a lot of down-to-earth charm to the role as well as being believably captivating to an ancient god. A '90s actress with the warmth, intelligence, and beauty of Jane Foster is Kate Winslet.

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Kate Winslet burst on to the scene in the '90s with roles in Heavenly Creatures and a few years later Titanic, at one point the highest-grossing movie of all time. She's no stranger to genre fare, appearing in the upcoming Avatar sequels in an undisclosed role.

Loki / Christina Ricci

Loki MCU Christina Ricci

Loki is all about charm and mischief, realized with star-making effect by British actor Tom Hiddleston. A '90s actor with equal parts charm and mischief is Christina Ricci.

Lady Loki might be surfacing in the upcoming Loki Disney+ streaming series, and Ricci, iconic in her role as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, would have brought equal parts depth and slyness to the role back in the '90s.

Thor / Heath Ledger

Thor Heath Ledger

Thor was actually part of a nascent Marvel television universe back in the '80s thanks to his appearance in The Incredible Hulk TV movie. But it would be twenty years before Chris Hemsworth brought a lot of humor to the traditionally stoic character from the comics. He brings a lot of heart and passion, too, and Heath Ledger would have too.

Ledger was an amazing actor with a terrific range, able to play the dashing hero, the comedy relief, and the villain, as he did in some of his best scenes, including as the Joker. Ledger would have brought a lot of humanity to Thor.

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