There have been three occasions during Marvel Studios' Phase 4 that we've met key new characters in mid-credits scenes. In Eternals, it was Harry Styles' Eros/Starfox. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we saw Charlize Theron's Clea enter the MCU, and in Thor: Love and Thunder, Zeus sent his son, Hercules, to take the God of Thunder down.
Fans have been eagerly anticipating Hercules' debut for some time now, but it's fair to say none of us pictured Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein as the Mighty Avenger!
That's not to say he won't do a good job, of course, as Marvel Studios has surprised us with many unconventional casting decisions over the years. Talking in the video below, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi credits Kevin Feige with choosing Goldstein as the MCU's Hercules.
"I can’t share much because that was all [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige]. Kevin was like, 'Hercules? How about we ask Brett [Goldstein]?'" the filmmaker reveals. "Kevin keeps his cards close to his chest. I don’t wanna be like, 'Where you going to go with this Hercules character?' It’s pretty exciting to open up this world of Zeus and Hercules and the Greek gods."
Had Waititi just thrown Hercules in as a joke (which is pretty much what Zeus is for most of his screentime), then we'd have likely dismissed the character as being little more than a set-up for a punchline in the next movie. However, all signs appear to be pointing to the Olympian playing a key role in the MCU moving forward, likely in the Thor franchise and beyond.
If he does come to Earth looking to remind superheroes that they're not Gods, we wouldn't be remotely surprised if Valentina Allegra de Fontaine manipulates Hercules into joining her Thunderbolts.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters!