10 Actors From Classic Hollywood Who Could Have Played Superheroes

5. Thor/ Laurence Olivier

Thor Olivier Compared to Chris Hemsworth's swaggering behemoth, Laurence Olivier looks downright puny. However, his unprecedented grasp of Shakespearean drama and unrivaled natural abilities more than make up for him probably weighing less than half what Hemsworth does. Olivier is considered by many to be the greatest actor of the twentieth century, a fact backed up by his ten Academy Award nominations and a host of legendary theater roles, and his penchant for the works of Shakespeare would make him well suited for the lofty dialogue often given to the Asgardian superhero. Thor is often a sort of hulking presence in most of his adaptions but the filmmakers could use some sort of cinematic trickery to make him more intimidating or simply portray him differently than usual. Olivier would elevate any of the dialogue given by the filmmakers and it would have been a joy to see him throw around Joss Whedon one-liners. Alas, it was never meant to be but we can always imagine just how cool it would have been to watch Olivier play Marvel's most lofty character.
Contributor

I love movies, literature, history, music and the NBA. I love all things nerdy including but not limited to Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Firefly. My artistic idols are Dylan, Dostoevsky, and Malick and my goal in life is to become like Bernard Black from Black Books. When I die, I hope to turn into the space baby from 2001: A Space Odyssey.