The answer: none of them. Mads Mikkelsen tells Zoom.in UK that he's had to bow out of the "Thor" sequel due to scheduling conflicts with his new TV show, "Hannibal."
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Unless you've been in Odinsleep, you must know that "Thor 2" is deep in pre-production as we speak in order to travel across the Bifrost Bridge into theaters on November 13, 2013, and the casting is about to heat up.
Director Alan Taylor ("Game of Thrones") and the fine folks at Marvel have chosen all-around kick-ass Danish thespian Mads Mikkelsen for an as-yet-unspecified villain role in the sequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Most of you will recognize Mikkelsen for his part as the bloody-teared bad guy Le Chiffre in "Casino Royale," but he's also got some serious sword and sorcery pedigree having quested through the big budget "Clash of the Titans" and Nicolas Winding Refn's art house slaughterhouse "Valhalla Rising."
The actor kicked much butt in both those movies, but where among the extended rogues gallery of the "Thor" comics would he fit in best? Here's a few speculative possibilities of madmen Mads could do some serious damage as:
Skurge the Executioner – One of the series' most ferocious warriors, he's got a thing for The Enchantress, a seductive villainess also rumored for the new film, and together they've plotted to take over Asgard many a time. He also occasionally rocks a machine gun.
The Serpent – Cur, Odin's long-forgotten evil brother, was the central figure of menace in last year's event mini-series "Fear Itself" which spanned the entire Marvel Universe. The dude actually wound up killing Thor (who stayed dead for, like, two issues), and laid waste to Asgard.
Tyr – A son of Odin and half-brother to Thor and Loki, this tough customer had his hand bitten off by a wolf and is the Asgardian god of war. Even though he is an ally, he sided with Loki against Odin, using the Golden Apples of Immortality to launch the Midgard Serpent (no relation to the other Serpent, just a big 'ol monster) on Earth.
Which of these baddies would you like to see duel with The Mighty Chris Hemsworth?
(Originally published on May 25, 2012, at 11:43 a.m. ET)
