What Surtur From Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok Looks Like In Real Life
In 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok," Marvel's titular hero and god of thunder is forced to go on a reflective journey of self-discovery through the cosmos all while getting beat up, electrocuted, beat up some more, and getting his eye taken out by a sister he never knew existed. Seriously, Chris Hemsworth gets absolutely walloped throughout the movie. However, that's not to say he doesn't give as good as he gets. The strongest Avenger (I said what I said) goes toe-to-toe with the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), the goddess of death Hela (Cate Blanchett), and even the lord of Muspelheim, Surtur.
The giant fire demon clashes with the son of Odin at the beginning of "Ragnarok" and later reappears during the film's climax when he is summoned by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in order to eliminate Hela. Surtur, based on the similarly named Surtr from Norse mythology, boasts an incredible infernal appearance (seriously, kudos to the VFX team, as always). Providing the motion capture for the fire lord was none other than "Ragnarok" director and Korg actor Taika Waititi. However, providing Surtur's booming otherworldly voice was an acting legend fans definitely recognize — the "John Wick" harbinger himself, Mr. Clancy Brown.
You've definitely seen and heard Clancy Brown outside of the Marvel realm
Trying to list out Clancy Brown's legendary body of work is a monumental task but we'll try our best. Firstly, "Thor: Ragnarok" wasn't the veteran actor's first rodeo with a superhero tale. Oh no, from 1996 to 2018 Brown served as the ultimate voice of Superman's greatest nemesis, Lex Luthor, in a host of animated projects, most notably "Superman: The Animated Series" and "Justice League Unlimited." Interestingly, "Thor: Ragnarok" wasn't even Brown's first time dabbling in Marvel's iteration of Asgard; he voiced Odin in one of the best superhero cartoons ever, "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes." As if Norse mythology wasn't enough, the actor also voiced Hades in the third "God of War" game.
"Thor: Ragnarok" also wasn't Brown's first live-action Marvel project; the actor appeared as Colonel Schoonover, one of the key figures responsible for the murder of Frank Castle's family, in "Daredevil" and "The Punisher." And, of course, "Star Wars" fans will certainly recognize the actor's iconic voice from "Rebels," where he plays Lothal Governor Ryder Azadi, a role he'd take up again in "Ahsoka."
In recent years, fans have likely seen and heard the actor in anything and everything; from "Gen V" and "Invincible" to "Dumb Money" and "Billions," Clancy Brown never stops appearing in our favorite stories.