Thor 4 has two post-credits scenes. The first one, a mid-credits one, reveals Hercules played by Brett Goldstein, and with that, the mighty character is inducted into the MCU. In this scene, Zeus orders Hercules to bring down Thor (quite literally!). Does this mean there will be a Thor 5?
Thor 5 will most probably happen with Zeus and Hercules playing the main rivals to Thor. However, it isn’t confirmed if they’ll be the antagonist considering, in the comics, Thor and Hercules join forces after their battles.
In the film, Thor, Valkyrie, Jane, and Korg go to the Omnipotence City to gather an army of gods. The idea is to bring the mightiest gods together and fight off Gorr before he murders any more innocent gods.
However, despite knowing that Thor is right, Zeus isn’t a fan of this idea. In the altercation that ensues, Thor manages to get his hands on Zeus’ Thunderbolt and launches it towards the lightning god.
In one swift movement, Thunderbolt pierces and passes through the middle of Zeus’ chest, and the character meets his end, or so we think.
In the film’s mid-credits scene, the character is shown to be very much alive. He is furious because of Thor’s actions and rants about how people don’t believe in gods anymore. They only “look up into the sky,” longing for their favorite superheroes to charge in and rescue them.
Before the scene ends, he states that people will witness Thor falling from the sky and tasks Hercules to perform this deed. The film then reveals Brett Goldstein as MCU’s Hercules and leaves us with many questions.
- Will there be a Thor 5?
- Will Hercules and Thor face off in it?
- Will Hercules, Zeus, and other gods be the main antagonists?
Well, let’s find out, shall we?
Will there be a Thor 5?
Kevin Feige teased Thor’s appearance in future MCU projects by telling, “…there are plenty of other incarnations of Thor that we’ve yet to see.” So, a Thor 5 is possible. The God of Thunder might also appear in other MCU projects such as Loki and Ant-Man.
Besides introducing a new character who has been given the job of killing Thor, the film also says, “Thor will return.” So, this could happen in Thor 5 or other movies/shows.
Season 2 of Loki is in development, and the next Ant-Man film is slated to release next year. Fans are speculating that Thor will have a cameo in these two titles. However, nothing is confirmed as of yet.
If we look at how Thor: Love and Thunder ended, it is safe to say that the character hasn’t gotten any closure like Captain America and Iron Man. So, not having any more of Thor would seem pretty abrupt, and the fans won’t be too pleased.
So, the film also teases the next arc for the Avenger, which involves Hercules. Before I speculate what the arc could be and how it would progress, let’s look at the two superheroes in the comics.
Hercules Vs. Thor in Marvel Comics
Hercules and Thor have battled against each other on multiple occasions in the comics. Most fights ended in a stalemate, except one, where Hercules won. The two later joined forces against villains, and Hercules became a part of the Avengers.
Hercules is one of the oldest members of the Avengers who’s been with the Team during events like Civil War and Secret Invasion. Initially, Thor and the Greek God were at loggerheads with each other.
In fact, their fights got so intense that planets were being knocked off their orbits. Fans of the comics have always questioned who is stronger, Hercules or Thor. The answer is pretty simple. Hercules is far stronger than Thor.
There have been several instances when this was proven beyond doubt. There are three or four landmark battles between the two that people remember.
The first one ends with a stalemate because Zeus interrupts the two. In the second one, Hercules beats Thor, fair and square. In the third one, there is no conclusion, but until the fight ended, Thor was more in control.
In one fight, Thor came out on top using his lightning force. Technically, Thor cheated because the contest was to see who was stronger physically.
But, later, the two become close friends and allies against supervillains. Once, Hercules caved in Ragnarok’s head with Thor’s hammer because Ragnarok had ruined the Thunder God’s reputation.
These are some of the most fan-favorite comic moments between these two superheroes. We still don’t know if this would translate to the MCU.
Will Hercules and Zeus be Thor’s next nemeses?
It isn’t confirmed what role Hercules will play in the MCU. Zeus does want him to finish Thor, so we might see an all-out show of brute strength by both the gods as they try to bring down the other.
However, I’m not sure if Zeus and Hercules would be the main antagonists. They might play a role synonymous with the Cable in Deadpool 2.
Since Hercules was there in the Secret Invasion comics, he could also be in the TV series, along with Nick Fury and the Skrulls. But this is all speculation, and we’ll have to wait and see what Kevin Feige says.
About Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor: Love and Thunder is a MCU movie and the fourth installation in the Thor series. It is directed by Ragnarok’s director, Taika Waititi, and will show Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman reprising their roles as Thor Odinson and Dr. Jane Foster.
The movie will be based on The Mighty Thor comics in which Thor Odinson loses the ability to lift Mjolnir, and Jane Foster takes on the role of Mighty Thor. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thor teams up with The Guardians of the Galaxy for a short time, leaving Valkyrie as the ruler of New Asgard. But Thor returns to team up with Korg, Valkyrie and Jane’s Mighty Thor to take down Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) – before he takes out all the gods in existence.
Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson return for Watiti’s second go, while Russell Crowe and Natalie Portaman join Taika’s project for the first time. The movie is out on July 8, 2022.
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