Marvel’s Valhalla Explained: Can [SPOILER] Return?

Warning: Contains spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder.

The Thor: Love and Thunder final post-credits scene shows Jane Foster and Heimdall in Valhalla, but could these dead characters return in the MCU after Thor: Love and Thunder's ending? It’s an established fact that death in comic books tends to only be a temporary thing, and Avengers: Endgame made a big deal about the fact that Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark was really dead. This has been particularly true in the Thor films, in which Loki has repeatedly died, and even when he was officially killed in Avengers: Infinity War, a variant returned for Loki.

In the same scene that saw Loki’s death in Avengers: Infinity War, Heimdall (Idris Elba) was also killed by Thanos. In Thor: Love and Thunder, Jane Foster/Mighty Thor (Natalie Portman) died from her cancer after using Mjolnir too much prevented her body from properly fighting against her cancer. The final Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene shows a somewhat surprised Jane arriving in Valhalla and being greeted by Heimdall.

The Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene does not give much away about what it might mean for Mighty Thor and Heimdall. While many of the MCU’s post-credits scenes serve to set up future outings for characters, some (like the auditory homage to Iron Man at the end of Avengers: Endgame) serve to show how a character’s arc ends. However, several key elements of the Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene, including Idris Elba’s cameo as Heimdall, suggest that the two characters might not be dead for good.

How Valhalla Works In The MCU - Can Jane Return?

Thor Love and Thunder Natalie Portman Mighty Thor

Jane Foster is welcomed into Valhalla by Heimdall in the second Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene, which might seem strange as she was not technically Asgardian. Valhalla’s precise MCU rules are not clear, but it is clarified that to enter Valhalla, one must die in battle. Jane died while still fighting to have Gorr (Christian Bale) do the right thing, even if she was not fighting physically. The fact that she disperses into gold sparkles, as Odin did, telegraphs her travel to Valhalla, and while she might not have been a god or an Asgardian, there is comic precedence for mortals being deemed worthy of Valhalla. In the Marvel comics, Jane Foster, Frank Castle, and Flash Thompson, are all able to enter the Asgardian afterlife.

While Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster can likely return to the MCU in the future, despite her death in Thor: Love and Thunder, there are different ways and degrees in which that might happen. In the Marvel comics, Thor refuses to accept Jane’s death and uses the power that was stored in Mjolnir, combined with Odin’s power (who meets Jane at the gates of Valhalla) to bring her back to life. While this didn’t happen in the movie, the ideas are set up in a similar way with Heimdall greeting Jane in Odin’s stead. This might mean that Jane can return from Valhalla with the right power source and strength of will, potentially with Heimdall’s help. In the comics, Jane also becomes a Valkyrie after losing Mjolnir, and as they are the ones who aid lost souls in finding Valhalla, it is viable that the MCU could allow Jane to return as a Valkyrie who can come and go from Valhalla as she pleases.

Alternatively, Jane could return to the MCU in a less full-bodied sense. In one of the Marvel comics timelines, Thor becomes the last survivor of Asgard and in doing so becomes Valhalla itself. This allows him to communicate with the dead Asgardians that inhabit the afterlife in that timeline. Alternatively, when Odin arrives in Valhalla he finds that the mead halls are empty and ends up taking residence within Mjolnir as there is nothing to do in Valhalla. In the Thor: Love and Thunder Valhalla post-credits scene the afterlife is notably quiet with only Heimdall there and Odin and Loki are both notably lacking. This could set up an adventure for Jane and Heimdall in which the two find a way to return to Earth, whether corporeally or not.

Where Jane & Heimdall Could Return In The MCU

A portrait of Heimdall without his helmet in Thor

While it certainly seems possible that Jane and Heimdall could return in future MCU projects, viewers might be waiting a while to see the pair again after the Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene. None of the currently announced upcoming Marvel projects, whether movies or Disney+ TV series, seem like logical places for the duo to reappear. Assuming that any futures for Jane and Heimdall will be tied to the adventures of Thor, Love, Valkyrie, and Sif, an announcement of Thor 5 or another Asgardian-based movie seems like the best chance. While they could be brought back with a tie-in to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, given that the team is tied to Thor to a degree now, that movie is set to be the last in its run, and cluttering it with Jane and Heimdall seems unlikely.

However, there is one other way that Mighty Thor and Heimdall can return after their Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits appearances. A Disney+ TV series could easily be added that might even specifically explore the exploits of Jane and Heimdall in Valhalla and working to return in much the same way that Agatha: House of Harkness was announced. This would provide an opportunity for Darcy to team up with Jane Foster once again and make good on her cameo from Thor: Love and Thunder. While the future might be unclear, the Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene certainly seems to imply that audiences haven’t seen the last of Portman’s Jane and Elba’s Heimdall.

More: When Love & Thunder Is Set In The MCU Timeline & How Long After Endgame

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