Alan Ritchson, who has played DC superheroes Aquaman and Hawk on television, recently revealed that he almost joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor, the God of Thunder.
Speaking with Men’s Health, the actor, who currently stars as the title character on the popular Prime Video action series Reacher, recalled auditioning for the MCU’s God of Thunder, revealing that the role was his to lose.
“I didn’t take it seriously,” he said. “I was like, ‘They’ll throw me the part if I look like the guy; nobody really cares about acting.’” However, despite reportedly being the frontrunner for Thor, Marvel Studios ultimately went with Chris Hemsworth, telling Ritchson’s team that the actor hadn’t shown that he had “the craft” for the superhero role.
Alan Ritchson was also almost Nightwing on Titans
In the same interview, Ritchson shared that he initially auditioned to play Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing in Titans before landing the supporting superhero role of Hank Hall/Hawk.
“I was so confident,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘This is the best damn audition I’ve ever had in my life. There’s no way they can do this show without me.’” Unfortunately, Ritchson was told that he was too old for the role, which ended up going to Brenton Thwaites.
With Ritchson now on Hollywood’s radar thanks to his breakout performance as Jack Reacher, some comic book fans are calling on DC Studios head James Gunn to cast the actor as the DC Universe’s Bruce Wayne/Batman. When asked in December 2023 if he’d be interested in the superhero role, Ritchson responded, “[H]ow can I knock Batman? I would love to play Batman.”
With Matt Reeves’ The Batman Universe starring Robert Pattinson not connected to the DCU, Gunn will introduce a new actor as the Caped Crusader in the upcoming movie The Brave and the Bold. The hotly-anticipated project is also confirmed to feature the live-action debut of Batman’s son, Damian Wayne. In the comics, Damian is the fifth character to assume the role of Batman’s crime-fighting partner, Robin.
Marvel Studios’ Thor franchise is available to stream on Disney+, while The Brave and the Bold does not yet have a release date.
