Editor’s note: The following contains Thor: Love and Thunder spoilers.He’s here, he’s there, and now he’s in the MCU!Thor: Love and Thunderuses one of its mid-credits scenes to reveal a surprise cameo, marking this famous character’s Marvel debut. If you’re not sure who exactlythatperson is or unfamiliar with the comics, here’s everything you need to know.
After Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Gorr (Christian Bale) die,Thor (Chris Hemsworth) preserves his promise to keep his heart openby raising Gorr’s daughter,played by Hemworth’s daughterIndia Rose Hemsworth, as his own. In his new role asdad god, Thor isfinding a new purposefor his life by raising Love and teaching her to fight alongside him. This new father-daughter duo of Love and Thunder have their happily ever after, blissfully unaware that a former threat is preparing to strike back.
Who Is Hercules?
Later in the mid-credits scene, it is revealed that Zeus (Russell Crowe) is still alive; he survived after he was seemingly stabbed to death by his Thunderbolt. As his wounds are being attended toin Omnipotence City, at first it appears he is talking to himself. He considers how mortals’ relationship to the gods has changed over the years, and how they worship superheroes more than the classic deities. Zeus declares thatmortals will fear them again, and he will have his revenge on Thor. The camera turns, and it’s revealed to the audience that he’s charging Hercules, played byBrett Goldstein, to go after the God of Thunder. Brett Goldstein is known for his Emmy-winning role as the foul-mouthed Roy Kent inTed Lasso.
This continues the long-held MCU tradition of revealing casting news in one of the stingers after the movie. We saw this was the case with several movies over the course of the MCU phases. The one that started it all wasSamuel L. Jacksoncoming in as Nick Fury at the end ofIron Manto talk to Tony Stark about a certain… initiative. There was the introduction of Wanda and Pietro at the end ofCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, giving us our first meeting withAaron Taylor-JohnsonandElizabeth Olsen. Later installments offered the return ofJ.K. Simmonsto Spider-Man lore inFar From Home. In Phase 4, we’ve seenHarry StylesinEternals,Charlize TheroninDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and we even heardMahershala Ali’s voice in the stinger forEternals. Often these cameos hint at something big in the future for fans to cling onto, even in the case ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, we didn’t get to seeTom Hardy’s Eddie Brock meetTom Holland’s Peter Parker before he was sent back to his universe, but he left a bit of symbiote behind that is sure to be a problem. Coincidentally, the bartender who was talking to Eddie in that scene was played by Goldstein’s fellowTed LassocastmateCristo Fernández.
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What is Hercules' Comics History?
Hercules is seen as the Greek counterpart to Thor. Besides his fame in Greek mythology, Hercules has an extensive history in the Marvel comics. His mythological origin story remains intact in the comics, with some new connections made to the established Marvel world. For instance, his first encounter with Thor actually happened during the Middle Ages when he led a group of time-traveling soldiers to fight the Vikings on Earth. Hercules assisted in forming the Greek Resistance during World War II. During the 1950s, Hercules met his lifelong drinking buddy,the gruff mutant Wolverine, played byHugh Jackmanin the X-Men movies.
When it comes to the modern era, Hercules has his own connection to Asgard and the Avengers. Similar to the mid-credits scene, in the comics Amora, the Asgardian Enchantress, casts a spell on him to attack the Avengers in revenge. Hawkeye helps free Hercules from her spell. After being exiled from Olympus, he crashes with the Avengers and eventually becomes an official member himself. During the comics run ofCivil War, Hercules sided with Captain America. He helped found the West Coast super-team, the Champions of Los Angeles, that only lasted a brief period. Fun fact– at one point, Hercules had a short-lived romantic relationship with Black Widow. ThoughScarlett Johansson’sversion of the character has since died, perhaps there could be a future relationship for Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh).
Is Hercules Friend or Foe?
Specific to Hercules and Thor, they have been considered allies and rivals. They fight alongside each other as Avengers, even taking his place in the Avengers lineup when Thor disappears for a period of time. Hercules is distraught by the others forgetting about Thor and Asgard’s disappearance; the remaining Avengers were more concerned with a breakdown from Scarlet Witch. During the comics run ofCivil War, Hercules famously kills a clone of Thor by using the clone version of Mjölnir against it while exclaiming, “Thou art no Thor!”
Brett Goldstein has become a fan favorite because ofTed Lasso, so to see him joining the MCU as Hercules is an exciting choice. As Roy Kent, Goldstein has the gruff and tough appearance matched with his excellent comedic timing, whether it’s a growl or a biting one-liner. If Goldstein uses hisTed Lassostyle of humor, it would be a great contrast to Hemsworth, making him aworthyadversary and future “friend from work” to Thor.
These future teammates have their work cut out for them. For now, Hercules is on the warpath to find and destroy Thor for his crimes against Zeus and Omnipotence City. Since it’s currently unknown when and where we’ll see Thor next, it will also be interesting to see when the famed hero of Ancient Greece will be seen next. At one point in the comics, Hercules moves to Brooklyn and gets a job bartending at a Greek run bar, and honestly, it’d be entertaining to watch an entire movie of Roy Kent being a bartender. Here’s hoping these legendary mythological heroes become the best pair of drinking buddies!
