Idris Elba is one of the most talented actors working today, and that makes it even harder to understand why Marvel Studios never really made full use of him as Heimdall. It wasn't really until Thor: Ragnarok that he was given a meaty role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that was followed by his blink-and-you'd-miss-it death at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
There have been rumblings for a while that the Asgardian might return in Thor: Love and Thunder after Elba was spotted in Australia alongside Taika Waititi and his co-stars, but has that now been confirmed?
When ComicBook.com caught up with the actor to discuss his role as Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad, they quizzed him on whether he's now a "DC-exclusive actor" after Heimdall "seemingly perished in the MCU." It was then that the one-time favourite to play James Bond shared a cryptic response.
"I think that I'm excited about the possibilities in the DC world," Elba started. "And I think the word of choice to make note of is the word 'seemingly.'"
It's certainly possible that Heimdall managed to survive that attack, and we can only hope that Waititi has something decent planned for the character in this fourth Thor movie. The sheer power of the Asgardian has never fully been explored in the MCU, though it's worth noting that the introduction of the Multiverse could also open the door to us seeing more of him.
We'll let you know if Elba shares any further details about his possible return as Heimdall.