Thor 4 had a lot of surprise Easter eggs and cameos related to past MCU movies, Greek and Norse mythology — but there’s one, in particular, you might have overlooked — the rumoured surprise cameo of Beetlejuice.
For the uninitiated, Beetlejuice is a ghost movie about a recently-deceased couple who are stuck haunting their marital home when a new family move in. Wanting to scare the new family away, they enlist the help of “bio-exorcist” Beetlejuice, a rebellious and trouble-making spirit played by Batman actor Michael Keaton.
As pointed out by a Uproxx reporter, towards the end of Thor 4, a “shadow creature” which looks remarkably similar to Beetlejuice once he transforms into his monstrous form can be seen in the background. “I didn’t know if that was a reference or not, or maybe my brain made that up,” the reporter said in a conversation with Thor 4 director Taika Waititi. Fascinatingly, the MCU Phase 4 director and actor doesn’t rule out the possibility, saying, “Maybe one of these computer people did it themselves. I wouldn’t mind.”
He later added, “Yeah. It’s possible. And if it did happen, I’m okay with it.” Of course, with some of Thor: Love and Thunder taking place in the Shadow Realm, the appearance of “shadow monsters” isn’t surprising, but Waititi definitely isn’t denying the Marvel movie‘s Beetlejuice connection.
Since opening on July 7 in the UK and July 8 everywhere else, the film has had a triumphant global box office performance of 449.3 million USD and counting. In Love and Thunder, Waititi not only returns as director but also returns to voice Korg.
Other returning cast members include Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, and Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. Christian Bale also makes his Marvel debut as villain Gorr the God Butcher.