A Hercules Thor: Love and Thunder appearance could happen if Gorr the God Butcher kills Zeus to set up his entry into the MCU. In the comic books, Hercules is a major member of the Avengers and a character who has been associated with numerous Avengers lineups over the years. Plus, he’s arguably the most important Avenger still missing from the MCU. Thor: Love and Thunder would be a perfect way to finally usher in Hercules. The antagonist of Thor: Love and Thunder is Gorr (Christian Bale), a powerful being on a quest to butcher as many gods as possible. The movie is also introducing Zeus (Russell Crowe), the portly but powerful ruler of the Olympians. Because it’s already bringing Zeus and Mount Olympus, many fans are wondering will Hercules be in Thor: Love and Thunder too.
Hercules comes from a corner of the Marvel Universe yet to be represented on the big or small screen. While the Thor franchise’s Asgardians are the most well-known gods in the comics, they aren’t the only ones who have visited the Earth: there are also the Olympian gods from Greek mythology. Several of them, such as Ares, have featured in hundreds of stories from Marvel Comics, but have thus far been ignored in the MCU. The most noticeable of these to comics fans is the missing Avenger, Hercules. However, it looks like this could be about to change in. Russell Crowe will be playing Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder – the leader of the Olympian gods and Odin’s Greek counterpart. Footage of Crowe as Zeus shows him to be a powerful figure, capable of ensnaring Thor in golden magical chains, and humiliating by removing his clothes with a mere flick of his wrist. However, despite being the ruler of Mount Olympus, Zeus doesn’t appear to share any of Odin’s wise stoicism.
There are no other details about what Zeus’ purpose is in Thor: Love and Thunder. However, the movie’s much-awaited antagonist, Gorr the God Butcher, is confirmed to be on a deity-slaying rampage during the movie. Does Gorr kill Zeus? There’s no proof yet, but several hints from trailers mean things might not bode well for the Chief Olympian. However, if Zeus is on Gorr’s hitlist it could be a great way to bring Hercules into the MCU fold. There’s no proof that Hercules is joining Thor: Love and Thunder’s cast, but he’s been in demand for a long time now. He’s a character with a lot of potential, and most of Marvel Comic’s readership agrees he’s due a big-screen debut. Here’s how Hercules could join the MCU in Thor: Love and Thunder, and why his introduction could occur as a result of Zeus’ death.
Gorr the God Butcher’s Plan Explained
Thor: Love and Thunder’s main villain, Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, could end up killing Zeus, who would make sense as a logical target. In Marvel Comics, Gorr is depicted as an incredibly powerful warrior with a long-held vendetta against the gods. Thousands of years ago, he lost his family on his home planet. The personal tragedies he endured made Gorr conclude that gods must not exist. So when he discovered that there are gods out there, he became furious, feeling that these deities should be stopping bad things from happening in the world. Gorr resultingly decided to kill off all the gods in the universe and set his sights on Thor and Odin. His travels took him to various locations, where he would ruthlessly slaughter every god or goddess he could find. It’s all but guaranteed that MCU’s take on Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder will involve him going on a killing spree against the gods.
Gorr has the Necrosword in Thor: Love and Thunder. In the comics, All-Black the Necrosword is a powerful weapon, rivaling Mjolnir in strength and is arguably a character in its own right. It’s had a variety of owners, including Knull the god of Symbiotes (who forged All-Black, making the Necrosword the first Symbiote), but the long ebony blade is best known as Gorr’s god-butchering signature weapon. The Marvel Comics Gorr takes All-Black from Knull, then travels the universe using the Necrosword to slay thousands of gods across multiple planets. Gorr has lost and regained the weapon a number of times throughout Marvel Comics canon, including to Thor on several occasions. Since it’s been confirmed that the MCU’s Gorr will also have All-Black the Necrosword, it’s likely that having this weapon is key to his plan – although whether he acquires it during Thor: Love and Thunder or starts the movie already wielding it remains to be seen.
Why Gorr the God Butcher May Kill Russell Crowe’s Zeus
Thor: Love and Thunder’s story needs a fresh injection of gods for Gorr to target on his crusade, especially since most of the Asgardians are dead after Thor: Ragnarok. Gorr’s mission will likely revolve around killing Thor, but his story could begin with killing Zeus and/or other gods first. To play into how vicious and dangerous Gorr really is, it would be smart for Marvel to pit him against a widely-recognized, all-powerful deity. Zeus, one of the biggest figures in Greek mythology, would therefore be an obvious choice. If Gorr can kill Zeus, a character with an enormous reputation, he’d prove right away that he’s one of the strongest villains ever to menace the MCU. He could even go a step further and kill all the gods in Olympus.
Hercules Could Team Up With Thor To Avenge Zeus
Zeus’s death in Thor: Love and Thunder at the hands of Gorr the God Butcher could serve another important purpose, too: the MCU introduction of Hercules. In the comics and in the myths, Hercules is a character who spends most of his time on Earth, living amongst the mortals rather than his father’s people. For this reason, it wouldn’t be surprising if Hercules is on the MCU’s Earth, or perhaps some other world. Known for being a womanizer and a heavy drinker, he could easily be wasting away his days somewhere, or even be off adventuring. Either way, he may not be on Olympus when Gorr attacks in Thor: Love and Thunder—and that may be how he survives the slaughter.
If Hercules has any emotional attachment to his father, Zeus, and the other gods, he could be compelled to go into action when he finds out about Zeus’s death in Thor: Love and Thunder. If that happens, Hercules could form an alliance with Thor, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander), and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) against Gorr. If it’s true that Gorr is capable of murdering gods like Zeus, it makes sense that it would take more than Thor to beat him. Having someone whose strength is on par with his would go a long way to making Thor’s victory over the villain possible.
Adding Hercules would be greatly beneficial to Thor: Love and Thunder, and not just because of how he fits into the Gorr the God Butcher story. The Prince of Power’s personality traits make him a perfect addition for a movie of its kind. Like its predecessor, Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love and Thunder is directed by Taika Waititi, who’s sure to continue his comedic approach to Thor and the other characters. Looking at who Hercules is and the laughs the lazy demigod often brings to Thor and Avengers comics, he seems ready-made for a Taika Waititi-directed Marvel movie. All things considered, a Hercules-Thor team-up in Thor: Love and Thunder has a ton of exciting potential.
What Hercules’ Role In MCU’s Future Could Be
Hercules is such a fun and nuanced character in Marvel Comics that it would be a colossal shame if Thor: Love and Thunder was the extent of Marvel’s plans for him. Decades of stories have proven that Hercules works well as a part of a team dynamic with groups like the Avengers. He’s also headlined his own comic frequently, indicating that he can appear as a solo hero as well. Marvel has plenty of options when it comes to Hercules’s future. He could get a roster spot in Avengers 5, either alongside Thor or as a replacement for him. Or, he could join Star-Lord’s team in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The comic book version of Hercules doesn’t have strong ties to the Guardians, but he is a member of the most recent incarnation of the group. A third route Marvel can take is giving him his own TV series on Disney+.
Will Gorr Butcher The Egyptian Gods From Moon Knight?
Aside from the possibility of Zeus’s death in Thor: Love and Thunder, Gorr could end up killing a number of other deities from different mythologies, like Moon Knight’s Egyptian gods. The Disney+ series Moon Knight has introduced the morally ambiguous pantheon of Egyptian gods to the MCU, meaning that any number of them could appear as Gorr’s victims without too much exposition. These gods include Khonshu, Ammit, Horus, Hathor, Osiris, Isis, Tefnut, and Taweret, each of whom plays a distinct role in Egyptian mythology and in Moon Knight’s central conflict.
Although there’s no confirmation that Moon Knight’s council full of gods will appear in Thor: Love and Thunder, the introduction of these deities into the MCU mere months before the debut of a character called Gorr the God Butcher seems like too much of a coincidence. Thor: Love and Thunder will likely focus primarily on New Asgard and Olympus, but even if it’s only for a brief cameo appearance, one of Moon Knight’s Egyptian gods certainly wouldn’t feel out of place as an incidental Gorr victim early on. There was a cut scene from Moon Knight that mentioned Gorr, as confirmed by Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater (via TheDirect), so it is possible that Marvel has plans for an Egyptian deicide to demonstrate Gorr’s power in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Which Other Gods Might Die In Thor 4?
In addition to Zeus and the Olympian/Egyptian gods, Gorr the God Butcher might have other deities or god-like beings on his hit list as well. While there aren’t many Asgardians left, the ones that are (including Thor) could end up being killed. Importantly, this raises the question of how exactly Gorr determines which entities in the vast Marvel universe are actually “gods.” Technically, Asgardians are superpowered aliens that Earth humans happen to have worshipped as gods in the past, as is true for the Olympian and Egyptian deities. Eternals’ Celestials could also be construed as gods, but it’s hard to imagine Gorr killing one, as powerful as he is. Regardless of how Gorr picks his victims, however, it seems likely that he could kill Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder, which would be the perfect way to introduce Hercules to the MCU.
A Fight Between Gorr And Valkyrie Might Spell Doom For Zeus
Footage of a fight between Gorr and Valkyrie (Tess Thompson) in various Thor: Love and Thunder trailers could be a hint that Zeus isn’t still standing by the time the credits roll. In the sequence, which appears to take place in Gorr’s black-and-white monochromatic world (possibly the Necroverse), Gorr is wielding the All-Black the Necrosword. Valkyrie is also wielding a recognizable weapon from other pre-release Love and Thunder shots – Zeus’s golden thunderbolt. Russell Crowe is seen triumphantly brandishing the weapon in a different scene, so it’s confirmed to belong to the Olympian before entering Valkyrie’s possession. While there is every chance that the oft-charming Valkyrie is gifted the weapon by Zeus or acquires it using other means, like The Guardians stealing it, it’s also likely she picks it up after a god-butchered Zeus no longer has need. Sparks can be seen flying when the golden bolt connects with the mighty Necrosword, and the chances the opulent and pompous Zeus would part with something so powerful willingly are slim.
Hercules Hasn’t Appear In Any Thor: Love And Thunder Footage
Thor: Love and Thunder releases in July 2022, and the internet is already awash with trailers, BTS photos, interviews, and all manner of pre-release media. Many details have been confirmed about the movie, and fans have had a peek of Zeus, Gorr, and even Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster Thor in action. However, despite everything else confirmed about the movie, there’s been no news of a Hercules appearance. There isn’t any easter-eggs hinting at Hercules in the trailers, either (apart from Zeus himself of course). While Disney has made surprise character introductions a marketing tactic in Phase 4, with both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness having “secret” MCU debuts of fan favorites, even hearsay about Hercules has been near-silent. It could be that the Marvel and Disney studio execs have finally got a lid on their content-and-conversation-generating leak “problem”, but it could also simply mean that MCU Hercules won’t be in Thor: Love and Thunder.
A Hercules Introduction Would Be A Perfect Post-Credits Scene
MCU post-credit scenes have had audiences glued to theatre seats until the lights came up since Nick Fury appeared after 2008’s Iron Man. Marvel has introduced a multitude of characters after the credits roll, including Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Adam Warlock, Clea, Tom Hardy’s Venom (for a brief stint), and even Howard the Duck. Introducing Hercules would be a perfect post-credits or mid-credits scene for Thor: Love and Thunder, one that both brought in a new fan-favorite Marvel Comics character and kept fans excited for the MCU’s somewhat-directionless Phase 4. With Zeus and the Olympians now part of the Marvel cinematic canon, it stands to reason that an as-yet-uncasted Hercules is out there somewhere too. Hercules loves nothing more than a quest, after all. He could be away from Olympus on a grand adventure, returning in the post-credits scene to learn Zeus was killed by Gorr. Whether or not he ends up in Thor: Love and Thunder, by including Zeus and the Olympians Marvel have opened the doors for an MCU Hercules.
