When rumours of Thor's brother, Balder, appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness first started doing the rounds, it's fair to say many fans just didn't get it. Later, we'd learn that he might be a member of the interdimensional Illuminati, though it seemed a little odd to expect moviegoers to care about a random Asgardian they've never seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before!
Recently, it's been suggested that longtime Sam Raimi collaborator Bruce Campbell will play Balder, explaining the character's inclusion to some extent. Whether he's made the cut after reshoots supposedly filmed to make the Doctor Strange sequel a little more star-studded is hard to say, but the actor reportedly addressed his involvement during a recent Q&A with a fan who met him at a convention.
"The deal with Doctor Strange is interesting," Campbell is reported to have said. "A majority of the film was reshot extensively, so I have no idea what's in there and what isn’t. I did a cool scene with a character that's been beloved for years, and...we’ll have to see what ends up in the movie. I don’t know if it's still in there. It's a pretty cool part."
We'd be surprised if Balder hasn't been cut, though it would be a shame to leave the iconic Evil Dead actor on the cutting room floor. Calling Thor's half-brother "beloved" might be a stretch, so we can't discount the possibility that he's actually playing someone else entirely in the upcoming movie.
It's unlikely we'll find out what the plan is until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actually hits the big screen. While the latest trailer appeared to confirm the validity of several plot leaks, those reshoots could have added and changed a lot that not even those leakers have been made aware of.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to be released in theaters on May 6!