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After months of waiting Thor: Love and Thunder is finally here. Directed by Taika Waititi, anticipation for the Chris Hemsworth-led sequel was sky-high, especially after it received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Throughout its marketing gate 4 was advertised as a standalone adventure, but following its global premiere it’s clear that wasn’t the case as its post-credits scenes had a massive impact on the MCU.
Warning – the rest of this article contains spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder.
After Gorr the Godslayer kidnapped the Asgardian children from New Asgard, Thor sought the gods’ help, which led to him (alongside Mighty Thor, Korg, and Valkyrie) visiting the Omnipotent City. During the team’s visit, Zeus of Russell Crowe firmly refused Thor’s request, ultimately leading to an epic clash that seemingly ended in the former’s death.
However, during the mid-credits scene, it was revealed that Zeus is still alive and wants revenge on Thor. As a result, the mighty god ordered his most skilled warrior to hunt down the avenger.
Taika Waititi explains Hercules’ MCU debut
Thor: Love and Thunder‘s mid-credits scene featured the debut of Brett Goldstein (Teddy Lasso) as Hercules, with the character assigned to hunt down the god of thunder in a future installment.
gate 4 Director Taika Waititi sat down with Uproxx to discuss Hercules’ historic MCU debut and Goldstein’s involvement in the long-running franchise.
Waititi, who also voices Korg in the sequel, revealed that the decision to cast Goldstein as Hercules came from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige:
“Kevin really wanted him to do it and yes, Brett is great. He is Great.”
Waititi also pointed out that he doesn’t know the specifics of Hercules’ MCU future, saying it’s unknown if the teasing was meant at the end “future thor movies or something else entirely:”
“And I don’t know if that has to do with Thor or if it has to do with how this is going to play out. Because obviously, Hercules, there’s a character from the books too. And yes, that will be interesting to watch because obviously Kevin is the mastermind of all these threads and how they converge and how they meet and mix and match. So I’m curious to find out for myself.”
The MCU director also recalled the audience’s excitement at the film’s premiere when Hercules appeared:
“And it was such a cool moment in the cinema that it was on that people went nuts. They were so excited.”
Hercules’ MCU debut has been in the rumor mill since June 2020, as Cinema Spot first reported.
Analysis of Hercules MCU future after Thor 4
Brett Goldstein is best known for his role as Roy Kent on Apple TV ted lasso, for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. However, it appears that Marvel Studios has another home run when it comes to its Hercules casting.
Taika Waititi’s high praise for Goldstein is a positive development for the actor’s MCU future, and signs suggest he has a long way to go. Additionally, the fact that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige chose the actor to portray the MCU’s Hercules also says a lot about his potential.
Although it is unknown whether gate 5 Part of the MCU’s Phase 5 roster, the clash between the God of Thunder and Hercules seems to confirm that a fifth installment will eventually take place.
Not much is known about Marvel Studios’ Hercules at this point, meaning there’s a chance that a potential solo spinoff for the Marvel hero will be announced ahead of his eventual encounter with Thor.
In Marvel Comics, Thor and Hercules are actually friends, but it seems the MCU will first pit them against each other before eventually teaming up against a larger threat. Hercules also fought in several battles alongside the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, meaning these adventures could potentially take place in the future.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now in cinemas worldwide.
