Jon Bernthal plays Menelaus in Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film The Odyssey.
Menelaus is identified in the film’s cast information as the Greek king of Sparta and the brother of Agamemnon. Both figures belong to the wider world of the Trojan War, the conflict that precedes Odysseus’s voyage home.
In Homeric tradition, Menelaus is the husband of Helen, whose abduction or departure with Paris helps trigger the Trojan War. Agamemnon leads the Greek forces, while Menelaus has a personal stake in the war because of Helen. The film’s story begins against this broader military and mythological background.
Bernthal’s casting connects The Odyssey to the Greek rulers and warriors surrounding Odysseus. He is separate from Benny Safdie’s role as Agamemnon, John Leguizamo’s role as Eumaeus, and Robert Pattinson’s role as Antinous, one of Penelope’s suitors.