Warning minor spoilers ahead! The director of the latest outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Taika Waititi, has admitted that despite helming Thor: Love and Thunder, he wasn’t too familiar with all the characters in the action movie. During a Q&A shared via Reddit, the filmmaker revealed that he didn’t know that the figure from Greek Mythology Hercules also popped up in the Marvel comics.
In the Marvel movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, a mid-credits scene saw Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fame make his superhero debut as Hercules, the son of Zeus (played by Russell Crowe). In the film, Hercules is summoned, as Zeus is bitter that superheroes are worshipped more than those on Olympus – potentially setting up Goldstein as the future antagonist in the next Thor movie. However, despite the big part and hints toward future franchise involvement, Waititi was taken aback by the character’s inclusion.
“I didn’t even know that was a character in Marvel, but, apparently it is,” he said. “It was good. I know it’s opening up a whole new thing, which I won’t be invited to come and be a part of, but I’m happy for everyone who loves Greek Gods.”
It is unclear what Hercules will be up to in the MCU. In the comics, the Greek demi-god is rivals with Thor but also tends to team up with the Asgardian when the occasion arises. Although Waititi isn’t caught up with Hercules’s Marvel lore, he did reveal to Uproxx that Goldstein was handpicked for the part, hinting that no matter where the character goes in the multiverse, he is in good hands.
“Kevin [Feige] really wanted him to do it, and yeah, Brett’s amazing. He’s great,” Waititi explained. “And I don’t know if that’s to do with Thor, or if it’s to do with how that will develop. Because, obviously, Hercules, there’s a character from the books as well.”
“And so, yeah, this will be interesting to see because Kevin, he’s obviously the mastermind of all of these threads and how they’ll tie up and how they meet, mix and match. So I’m curious to find out myself.”
Thor: Love and Thunder is out in cinemas now. Fans can also check out the Asgardian’s other movies, which are all available to watch on the streaming service Disney Plus.