Karl Urban Comments on His THOR: RAGNAROK Role, Skurge The Executioner
Last week it was announced that Karl Urban (Star Trek, Dredd, LOTR) had been cast in Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok as Skurge the Executioner. I’ve been hoping to see this character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Urban is the perfect choice to bring him to life. Skurge is an Asgardian warrior who was an enemy of Thor in the comics until he realized he was being used by the Enchantress.
IGN recently caught up with Urban and asked him about signing on to play this character in the Thor: Ragnarok, and he offered the following reply:
"I read a fantastic script that was action-packed and full of great characters. When I heard who was involved -- and the cast list dropped yesterday -- and [saw] the opportunity to work with [director] Taika Waititi, who I think is one of the most brilliant directors coming through, I made the decision it was something that I wanted to be a part of.
"And the character is fantastic. He's got a great arc to him. Obviously, I can't say too much about it, but I'm really thrilled to be a part of the Marvel universe and to be working on Thor: Ragnarok."
Urban didn’t offer any other details, but he did jokingly say:
“Suffice to say, I have it in my contract that I don't have to shave my head until after my Star Trek press!”
Skurge has mostly been portrayed as a villain in the comics, but he did end up finding redemption and becoming a hero. I’m not exactly sure how he’ll be portrayed in the MCU, but if he ends up being a character that will only be used in this film, I imagine we’ll see both the bad and good side of him.
If they plan on playing with this character in films beyond Thor: Ragnarok, then I hope he’s a full-on villain. I’d much rather see a drawn out story arc for him, but we’ll see. If you aren’t familiar with the comics, then you might want to stop reading here. He just has such a powerful story arc of redemption. After he realized Enchantress was using him, he fought alongside Thor against Hela and her armies. Skurge ended up fighting them to the death, sacrificing himself so that Asgardian army and the human souls could escape her realm. This earned him an honorable death and place in Vahalla.
Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters on November 3rd, 2017.