The MCU movie Thor: Love and Thunder has revealed yet another addition to the series. But when are they coming back?
Spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder Below!
There have been a lot of conflicting opinions about Thor: Love and Thunder since its release a couple of weeks ago, but one thing that everyone can agree on is that it looks certain that Chris Hemsworth will be back to play the God of Thunder again. We also know, thanks to the scene in the middle of credits, that he will be facing Hercules (played by Brett Goldstein) at least part way through his return. The actor recently spoke out for the first-time about the film and his thoughts on the future of the MCU.
Thor: Love and Thunder was always known to feature Russell Crowe in the role of Zeus, and despite seeming to meet an early end at the hands of Thor, the Greek God’s fate was revealed in the mid-credit scene when a wounded and angry Zeus commanded Hercules to take revenge on Thor. It was a flash in the pan moment. Just like other recent Marvel post-credit scenes, this new character to the MCU was shown in all its glory. However, Goldstein said that he doesn’t know what it means for the future. Variety:
“I truly, honestly — this isn’t me lying or being coy — I know nothing. It’s all I know about what I did on that particular day. It could have been. It was three fun seconds .”
Hercules Will Return By Marvel’s Own Post-Credit Reveal Rule … Eventually.
Although Goldstein claims to know nothing about his possible return to the role of Hercules in future, the general rule of Marvel Studios’ post-credit scenes is that they don’t set up new characters that are never seen again. In the beginning, things were simpler, and people had low expectations. The post-credit scenes served to tease future appearances by Thor, Thanos, and Adam Warlock. While some have taken longer to eventually appear than others, with Warlock, for example, having been teased in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 several years ago and will make his first appearance in next year’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, there is no telling when Hercules will make his return, but it seems almost guaranteed to happen at some point.
According to reports, Hercules has been one of the characters that have been in contention to join the MCU for a number of years, and additionally, the casting of Goldstein, who is best known for appearing in Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, was Kevin Feige’s idea. It seems impossible that this could be accomplished in a matter of seconds without a plan.
Whether or not the future of Thor and Hercules are one of the reveals Feige is planning on making soon, we can only wait and find out. With San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, and Disney’s D23 Expo coming in September, some of Marvel’s secrets are getting very close to being revealed.