Some new characters are introduced in Thor: Love and Thunder, while many others return, like Idris Elba’s all-seeing Asgardian Heimdall. Our conversation on the post-credits sequences and what they portend for Heimdall’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was featured in an interview with Perri Nemiroff for the upcoming man vs. lion movie Beast. Thor: Love and Thunder depict Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), the ex-girlfriend of Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth), seizing Mjölnir for herself and becoming the Mighty Thor. Jane’s time as a superhero is cut short as she gives her life to prevent Gorr, the God Butcher (Christian Bale), from annihilating all gods and humans alike.
According to Norse mythology, since Jane died defending her country, she now resides in Valhalla, the paradise of the gods Asgard. Even though Heimdall perished in Avengers: Infinity War, he appears in the post-credits sequence in Thor: Love and Thunder to meet Jane upon her arrival at Valhalla. As part of our conversation with Elba, we revisited this sequence to explore the implications it may have for Heimdall moving forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We also inquired what Elba believes Heimdall will investigate in the afterlife. If you ask Elba: His “entire type of like armoury of gifts” has been used in some capacity. Remember, he can see everything. On the other hand, he is a formidable fighter. We’ve seen him in the role of a warrior, and he has an aura of immortality, which is an aspect of his character we haven’t delved into much but might be intriguing. Listen, the Marvel universe is always growing and developing. It’s impossible to tell.
In fact, the MCU is constantly growing, with Marvel Studios just announcing a jam-packed slate of film and television releases all the way through 2026. It’s possible it will be some time before we see Heimdall again because no planned films centre on Thor and the Asgardians. Thor: Love and Thunder also bring back Tessa Thompson as King Valkyrie, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, and Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket. Russell Crowe also made his MCU debut as Zeus, the Greek God of Thunder. As an added bonus, Love and Thunder will be directed by Taika Waititi once again from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
Thor: Love and Thunder is currently available in cinemas.