Warning: This article contains spoilers for Thor: Love & Thunder
Taika Waititi has opened up about Thor: Love and Thunder's surprising post-credits scene character debut, addressing their potential future in the MCU. The director has just returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to helm the sequel to his 2017 hit Thor: Ragnarok. Love and Thunder sees Chris Hemsworth return as the titular hero, starring alongside Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, and Waititi himself.
In the first post-credits scene for Thor: Love and Thunder, audiences are returned to Omnipotent City, where they are given a glimpse of a wounded Zeus (Russell Crowe). After being defeated by Thor when his group asked him and the gods to help rescue New Asgard's children from Gorr (Bale), Zeus is left to recover, voicing his disdain at how humanity looks up to Earth's mightiest heroes rather than the gods. Wanting to make humanity fear them once more, Zeus tasks his son Hercules (Brett Goldstein) with making an example of Thor. While Waititi is openly enthusiastic about continuing Thor's story in the MCU, the director has now also addressed Hercules' MCU debut, as well as his future.
As reported by /Film, Waititi revealed that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige pushed for Goldstein's casting and the director stated he was pleased to see audience reactions to the actor's MCU debut. Despite Hercules' introduction and his mission to kill Thor, Waititi is currently unaware of where the character may appear next, admitting that Feige may be the only person who has an idea of when or where Hercules might return. The director did, however, say that he was interested in seeing where the character would go following the post-credits scene. Check out Waititi's response below.
"Kevin really wanted him to do it. It was such a cool moment in the cinema where it played, that people went nuts...
I don't know if that's to do with Thor, or if it's to do with how that will develop. This will be interesting to see, because Kevin, he's obviously the mastermind of all of these threads and how they'll tie up and how they meet, mix and match, so I'm curious to find out myself."
Waititi's comments on Hercules' future come following Portman's own comments on the second post-credits scene, where the actress suggested Jane's story may not be over. While Jane ultimately succumbs to her cancer following her battle with Gorr in the film, the second post-credits scene saw Portman's character ascend to Valhalla, where she is greeted by Heimdall (Idris Elba). While Jane may have reached Valhalla, Portman suggested in an interview following the film's release that "anything is possible," praising Jane's character and stating that she was open to returning to the role.
Goldstein's debut as Hercules in Thor: Love and Thunder may be a significant moment for the future of the MCU. While Hercules in the comics began as a foe of Thor's - like in the film's post-credits scene - the two gods would form a close friendship, with Hercules himself eventually becoming an Avenger. While Waititi may not know where the character will appear next due to Love and Thunder's standalone, non-interconnected story, the director's comments suggest that Feige has a plan for Hercules' future in upcoming MCU projects, meaning that the character may have a key role in phase 4 and beyond.
Source: /Film
