Warning, minor spoilers ahead! Everyone knows that when it comes to keeping secrets, no one is as strict as the Marvel police. Every Easter egg, cameo, and post-credit scene for new Marvel movies is kept under lock and key by the studio. In fact, Marvel is so good at hiding its films that even some of the crew working on the action movies are in the dark about final cuts.
Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Love and Thunder’s post-credit scene officially introduced Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein (aka football captain Roy Kent) into the MCU as the demi-god Hercules. However, Goldstein’s big superhero debut wasn’t just a shock to fans, but also to the crew of the Thor movie. In an interview with Variety, Thor 4 co-writer, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, revealed that she hadn’t seen the flick’s post-credit scene before the film’s premiere.
“I saw that at the premiere with everybody else. In the same way that I guess Taika didn’t know Thor was coming back, I did not know that Roy Kent was Hercules,” Robinson said. “I’m a huge Marvel fan, so I was delighted to have one moment in the movie where I was truly surprised.”
“I knew there was talk about Hercules. The name Hercules was not not said in conversations that I definitely, probably wasn’t supposed to overhear, but did,” she explained.
“So the minute I saw the beginning of the scene, I knew he was gonna be talking to Hercules. I didn’t know who they cast. But I was like, is this gonna be Hercules? I just knew that it was a thing that they were like, ‘We’re gonna want leeway with this, so stay away from it.'”
Robinson’s next project will see her write and direct the comedy movie Do Revenge. Currently, it is unclear if she will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the filmmaker did hint that she is open to the idea if Kevin Feige presents her with an opportunity.
“The one thing I’ll say is Kevin really understands putting together writers and directors and executives and projects — creating that creative soup. So if Kevin feels that I am right for something, I really trust him, because I think I would be set up for success.”
Thor: Love and Thunder is out in cinemas now. For more action-packed fun, here is our guide to MCU Phase 4.