Despite Marvel Studios dispatching promotional materials at an impressive (and frankly, journalistically exhausting) rate, there’s still quite a lot we don’t know about the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.
For example, did you know Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage is playing a role in the film? In all the hubbub I’d completely forgotten, and while who exactly he’s portraying remains to be seen, fans thought they figured it out this week when a new clip dropped featuring Corvus Glaive, a member of Thanos’ Black Order who sounded an awful lot like the actor.
Now, however, we’re being told that the mystery still remains, as directors Joe and Anthony Russo have revealed that Glaive is actually being played by someone named Michael James Shaw, perhaps best known for his role as Papa Midnite on NBC’s Constantine.
Speaking about casting the role, Joe said:
“In the same way we were approaching Thanos with Josh Brolin to bring sort of a very grounded, realistic performance, we wanted to do that with everyone in the Black Order. So we cast very, very good actors for those. And we had Terry Notary, so Terry worked very closely with every one of them to help them understand, including Josh, to help them understand movement, what the relationship between their body and their characters’ bodies are, almost like a puppeteer.”
So, it’s Shaw as Glaive then, and not Dinklage, and the actor will join Terry Notary’s Cull Obsidian, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor’s Ebony Maw (which sounds extremely porn-y), and Carrie Coon’s Proxima Midnight as the four members of the Black Order. Not a bad roster, eh?
For those unfamiliar with Glaive, he’s actually the leader of the group, famed for his combat mastery and tactical genius. Worryingly for the Avengers, he’s also functionally immortal thanks to his weapon, a glaive that allows him to survive practically any injury – not to mention being able to slice through any known thing (and person) in the universe. Don’t get too attached to that new shield, Cap.
As for Dinklage, his role remains a mystery, but whoever it is he shows up as, we can’t imagine it being a big part. With so much to juggle as is, there’s no way Avengers: Infinity War has a lot of room for new characters, even if they’re being brought to life by big name actors. If anything, we imagine his role will be more of an introduction for whoever it is he’s portraying, before he possibly takes more of the spotlight in the currently untitled sequel, Avengers 4.
