What's with the cameos and credits in Thor: Love and Thunder?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is rolling towards its 30th film, which will be Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due for release in November.
But the landscape of the cinematic universe has been very different since the end of Endgame, with recent films delving into the comic books and previous films to find familiar and fan-favorite faces to spice up superpowered crime.
Cameos are now as big a deal as the end credits scene, hinting at the entire multiverse of creative opportunities for cinematic universe brain trust.
But director Taika Waititi likes to do things differently, and the cameos in his latest film Thor: Love and Thunder are a very quirky mix of Taika, old friends, and oh-my-god moments.
Read on if you dare, but be warned — it’s a spoiler.
Guardian of the Galaxy
It’s no surprise here to anyone who has noticed (or who saw the trailer).
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, which is the last time we see Thor, he flies into the intergalactic sunset as an unofficial member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, all of whom appear here for the “classic Thor adventure”.
This won’t be the last we’ll see from the Guardians—they starred in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which is due out in December on Disney+ and is likely to be a loving homage to the much-despised Star Wars Holiday. Special in 1978.
The team will also return for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 in May 2023.
Matt Damon, Sam Neill and Luke Hemsworth
Continuing their cameos in Thor: Ragnarok, Damon, Neill, and Chris Hemsworth’s older brother Luke are back doing exactly what they did in Ragnarok — being actors.
Playing the roles of Loki, Odin and Thor respectively, the three were used by Waititi as monstrous stars in the amateur production of one of Thor’s classic adventures, which is not only a funny joke, but a clever way to recap the events of the past. film.
Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone
Damon, Neill and Luke Hemsworth join forces this time with Melissa McCarthy in the role of Hela, played with devilish delight by Cate Blanchett in Thor: Ragnarok.
A much less scary Hela, McCarthy was able to share her gag cameo with her husband Ben Falcone, who had the role of the stage manager of the gruesome production in which McCarthy and company starred.
Thor’s previous regular customer
Waititi killed off most of Thor’s prized friends in Ragnarok, though we catch glimpses of Hogun, Vostagg and Fandril in flashbacks.
The sole survivor is Lady Sif, played by Jaimie Alexander, making her sixth appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (that’s three films and three TV series, though I won’t divulge which one if you haven’t seen them all).
Super nerdy sidenote: Lady Sif met the fate in Love and Thunder that also befell Thor in the Thor/Mighty Thor comic that inspired the film.
The biggest surprise was the return of Idris Elba as Heimdall, which suggests that death hasn’t stopped the character from returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
the gods
Given that Stan Lee pinched Thor, Odin, Loki, and co from Norse Mythology, it shouldn’t surprise you that he took gods from other pantheons to populate the comic book universe.
Zeus is the main one here, played by the cleverly accented Russell Crowe (who appears to have the ball) but eagle-eyed fans will get to see various Greek, Aztec, and Egyptian gods, and then some.
You may have to wait for the stream to release so you can pause it and take a good look at who’s on there, and who’s playing it.
Hemsworth Clan
Chris’ older brother Luke is not the only member of the Hemsworth family to appear in Love & Thunder.
Appearing as a werewolf in a flashback to Thor’s conquest is Chris Hemsworth’s wife, Elsa Pataky, who starred in the recent Netflix adventure The Interceptor, Matthew Reilly.
While Pataky’s role was nothing more than a kiss with her husband, their 10-year-old daughter, India Rose Hemsworth, had a much bigger role in the film, starring as Love, daughter of villain Gorr (played by Christian Bale).
Bluey Connection
This is a deep dive, so hold on to your hat.
During the making of Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi and Hemsworth created several short mockumentaries that aimed to show what Thor did during the events of Captain America: Civil War, and to introduce the new comedic tone they wanted to bring to the series.
In the short film, Thor is shown living with an Australian housemate named Darryl, who helps Thor email his fellow Avengers and argue with him about household chores.
Darryl returns triumphantly to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an Asgardian tour guide, played once again by Daley Pearson, who was one of the masterminds behind ABC’s hit show Kids Bluey, serves as executive producer on the program and voices Bandit’s friend Rocko.
Post-credit
Credit scenes from several recent Marvel Cinematic Universe films have served as gentle introductions to new characters.
We have Clea (played by Charlize Theron) in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, and Eros (Harry Styles) in The Eternals.
Now we have Hercules, played by Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein—another god taken from mythology and thrown into comic books by Stan Lee.
Hercules’ history with Marvel goes back to 1964, and he has since been a semi-regular member of the Avengers, as well as part of a short-lived team called The Champions alongside Black Widow, Ghost Rider, Iceman and Angel.
He also has a part of the showdown with Thor, which seems to be the direction the end credits scene points.
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