Christian Bale and Russell Crowe Worked with ‘Logan’ Director Long Before ‘Thor’
Thor: Love and Thunder notably reunites Chris Hemsworth with former co-star Natalie Portman as the latter takes on the mantle of Mighty Thor. Of course, director Taika Waititi’s new movie also features the return of Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, and Waititi himself as Korg. But Thor: Love and Thunder adds two Oscar-winning names to the cast: Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. However, the Marvel movie isn’t the first time these two shared the screen.
Who do Christian Bale and Russell Crowe play in the new ‘Thor’?
Early reviews claim Thor: Love and Thunder is even more fun than its predecessor, Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok. And judging by what fans know about the film, that’s certainly possible. After all, Bale stars as a fearsome new villain, Gorr the God Butcher. This marks the actor’s first time playing a comic book villain after so memorably starring as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy.
Meanwhile, Crowe appears as Zeus, the Greek god who enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time in this film. The movies have a long history with the Norse gods, thanks to Anthony Hopkins’ Odin, Hemsworth’s Thor, and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. But with Zeus joining the mix, the MCU is following in the footsteps of Marvel Comics by expanding its godly roster. With Gorr running amok, perhaps Zeus is in danger.
Christian Bale and Russell Crowe co-starred in a 2007 Western
Bale and Crowe both have long-standing histories with DC Comics. Bale, of course, played Batman in Nolan’s films. Additionally, Crowe starred as Jor-El, Superman’s father, in Man of Steel, the Nolan-produced film which kicked off the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). But Bale and Crowe’s comic book connections run even deeper, thanks to their first on-screen pairing in 2007 Western 3:10 to Yuma.
A remake of the 1957 film, it stars Bale as a rancher who accompanies an outlaw (Crowe) to the titular train ride. Director James Mangold directed the film, which turned out to be a critical and commercial success. Mangold later made 2013’s The Wolverine and 2017’s Logan starring Hugh Jackman as the X-Men character. The filmmaker is currently working on the fifth Indiana Jones movie.
Is ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Chris Hemsworth’s last MCU movie?
Given Bale’s reluctance to commit to an ongoing franchise role – with Batman the sole exception – it’s unlikely he’ll return as Gorr for future MCU installments. After all, Cate Blanchett similarly popped up in Thor: Ragnarok as the villain Hela for a one-time appearance. And while Crowe could potentially return if he survives Thor: Love and Thunder, will Hemsworth be back?
Thor is the first solo MCU hero to lead four films. So fans are officially in uncharted territory now. The actor has often maintained that he’s open to coming back for more movies as long as the character keeps evolving. Certainly, Thor has changed a lot throughout his MCU tenure. So while nothing’s official, fans cannot count out the potential for a Thor 5 to happen.
