Beta Ray Bill is trending online after Christian Bale is cast in Thor: Love and Thunder. It was announced last year that Thor 4 was officially a go, making Thor the only character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get four films. Taiki Waititi is returning to direct the film, with Chris Hemsworth returning as the titular character.

Thor made his comic book debut in 1962, while Beta Ray Bill didn't appear until 20 years later in 1983. Beta Ray is a fan-favorite character from the Thor comic books, who was originally an enemy of Thor. However, after being able to lift Mjolnir, Odin commissioned the dwarves to forge Stormbreaker for the Korbinite. A sculpture of Beta Ray Bill made a brief appearance in Thor: Ragnarok on Grandmaster's palace on Sakaar, and of course the weapon Stormbreaker appeared in Avengers: Infinity War. There have been rumors of Beta Ray Bill making his MCU introduction, and it now looks like people are rallying for Bale to take the role.

Related: Thor Is The Only Original Avenger With A Real MCU Future

After word broke that Bale might be joining Thor: Love and Thunder, speculation immediately started on which Thor character he could be playing. With the popularity of Bale and Beta Ray Bill, the character started trending on Twitter. Some of the fan's reactions can be seen below:

While Beta Ray Bill may or may not be appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder, there are many other characters that have been confirmed for the film. Hemsworth is of course returning as mentioned above, as well as Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Waititi as Korg. It was also announced at last year's San Diego Comic-Con that Natalie Portman will also be making a triumphant return to the MCU as female Thor.

Having Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder could be a great move for Marvel. Bale is not only familiar with the superhero genre, via Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, but he is also an Academy-Award winning actor. There is also a clear desire from the fans for Bale to play Beta Ray, so making that a reality could also bring more people to see the movie in theaters. Thor: Love and Thunder will start filming this Summer, so it could be a while before fans get confirmation of Bale playing Beta Ray Bill.

More: Thor 4 Theory: Age Of Ultron May Have Set Up A Love & Thunder Villain

Source: Various (see above)