The Thor films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are packed full of supporting characters, including Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun, who make up the Warriors Three. Often accompanied by Lady Sif, they are meant to be among Asgard's mightiest heroes, traveling alongside Thor during his many adventures. However, they don't have much to do in any of the films, existing primarily as background pieces made completely redundant by the third film in the series, Thor: Ragnarok. This is why almost no one noticed when Fandral, originally played by Josh Dallas, was replaced by Zachary Levi in Thor: The Dark World.
Dallas was originally set to return for The Dark World, but scheduling conflicts forced him to give up the role. He played the character Prince Charming in the popular fantasy series Once Upon a Time, which had started its highly anticipated second season around the same time. He parted on good terms, and Zachary Levi took over the role. Best known at the time for the NBC comedy Chuck, Levi had actually been offered the role of Fandral during casting for the first film but turned it down when Chuck, which was in danger of being canceled, got a surprise Season 3 renewal.
How Zachary Levi's Time as Fandral Came to an End
Levi reprised the role in Thor: Ragnarok but was murdered by Hela almost immediately. Upon her release from Odin's prison, she returned to reclaim Asgard and slaughtered her father's armies, Fandral included. He's actually the second Asgardian to die by her hand and is taken out before Hela even bothers introducing herself.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Levi admitted that he was actually happy about his death in Ragnarok because it wasn't much fun to play such an undeveloped character with almost no lines. "I knew when I got cast as Fandral in the first [Thor movie], though I wasn't able to do it, I knew that the Warriors Three could be really fun characters if they ever developed them," he said. "They just didn't. They didn't. They didn't in the first one. They didn't really in Dark World. That's not to say there weren't some moments that were shot that weren't used, ultimately, in the movie."
"Even when I got killed, there was more to that scene. Granted, maybe 30 seconds more of a line here, a line there. Kill, kill, you're dead. I knew Fandral could be fodder, would be fodder. I don't know... unless Marvel really wanted to be like, 'We want every single character we've ever seen, particularly demi-gods, to be able to be a part of Avengers.' But then the truth is, to be honest... If let's say Fandral was still alive, and let's say they tapped me to be in Avengers [Infinity War], I'd probably be sitting in Atlanta for three months doing almost nothing. And then they'd be, 'Okay now we're ready for you, you guys go in,' And then we'd get killed then."