Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder.
Gods have been a part of the MCU since the Asgardians were introduced in 2011, but Phase Four has really seen the franchise go god-crazy. First, Eternals explored the uber-powerful Celestials and their legendary creations, then Moon Knight debuted the Egyptian Ennead, and now Thor: Love and Thunder is going even further, offering up an extravaganza of supreme beings.
As you would expect for a movie which features a character named Gorr the God Butcher as its main antagonist, Love and Thunder contains a deluge of deities, from Thor and his friends to the Greek pantheon to a range of gods from elsewhere in the cosmos. Some are drawn from real-world mythology, some from Marvel comics, others are straight from the weird brain of Taika Waititi himself.
As there are so many gods knocking around the film, here’s a handy-dandy guide to all the divine entities who appear in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Thor
The god with the godbod himself (Chris Hemsworth) returns for his fourth solo outing — a record-breaking first for the MCU — in Love and Thunder. Some time has passed since Avengers: Endgame and he’s been saving the cosmos with the Guardians for some time when the film begins.
Valkyrie
Valkyrie isn’t typically thought of as a god, but all Asgardians technically are, so she earns her spot on this list. Tessa Thompson’s heroine is busy wrestling with the boring side of being King of New Asgard at the start of the film, but she gets to head back into action as the story progresses.
Jane Foster
Does Jane (Natalie Portman) count as a god? Apparently, yes. The astrophysicist gains Thor’s powers when she becomes worthy of wielding Mjölnir and, after her tragic death from cancer, she gains entry to the Asgardian afterlife of Valhalla, thereby confirming her newfound godhood.
Sif
After skipping Thor: Ragnarok, Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) is back in Love and Thunder. Sif loses an arm in battle with Gorr but is last seen training the children of New Asgard, finding a new home on Earth. Sif gets a new wardrobe for this film, too, bringing her more in line with her comics counterpart.
Zeus
Russell Crowe offers one of the MCU’s biggest ever performances as Zeus, the king of the Greek pantheon and Thor’s childhood hero. Unfortunately, he turns out to be a massive tool. The golden-blooded god seems to be killed by his former fan but ultimately reappears no worse for the wear.
Hercules
Technically, Hercules is a demi-god — as his mother was mortal — but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention him here. Herc is introduced in LaT‘s mid-credits sequence, as portrayed by Brett Goldstein, with Zeus choosing his favorite son as his champion to get revenge on Thor.
Heimdall (and family)
Idris Elba returns for a brief cameo in the movie’s after-credits scene, welcoming Jane to Valhalla. More substantially, LaT also introduces his son Axl (Kieron L. Dyer) who has inherited his father’s “weird eyes.” We also briefly see Axl with his mother, Grace (Eliza Matengu), presumably Heimdall’s wife.
Dionysus
When Zeus rags on Thor, the film cuts away to a clearly drunken god yelling “Good one, dad!” This is Dionysus, as played by Simon Russell Beale. In Greek mythology, he is indeed one of Zeus’ sons and is the God of Wine (among other things).
Bast
Bast, or Bastet, was introduced in Black Panther as the panther goddess worshiped by the people of Wakanda who serves as the guardian of their dead. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it crossover, she can be seen sitting in front of Jane and Valkyrie at Omnipotence City.
Ninny of the Nonny
Credited as Old Kronan God, Ninny of the Nonny — as he’s referred to on-screen — is encountered by his subject Korg at Omnipotence City. Unlike the other gods, he seems surprisingly affable and laid-back. Taika Waititi pulls double duty as Ninny for his brief cameo.
Bao
The cutest god of them all is Bao, the God of the Dumplings, who — just like his name suggests — is a living bao with a chibi-style face. It’s a good thing Thor is also made by Disney otherwise the makers of Pixar’s Bao would probably sue.
Rapu
Rapu (Jonny Brugh) has the distinction of being the very first god to appear in Love and Thunder, and also the shortest-lived. It’s his cruelty in the face of Gorr’s suffering that turns him from a loyal acolyte to vengeful God Butcher, with Rapu being the first victim of the Necrosword.
Falligar the Behemoth
Though he no doubt killed many more in between, the next documented victim of Gorr’s is Falligar the Behemoth, the giant rocky beast that Thor is sad to see felled as, despite his fearsome appearance, he describes him as the “nicest god you could ever meet.”
Eternity
To call Eternity a god is almost to do the omniscient entity a disservice. In truth, the personification of time makes Zeus look like a zit on the face of the universe. Love and Thunder explains that he exists at the center of reality and grants one wish to whoever finds his hiding place.
Love
Though it’s not confirmed within the film itself, unlike Jane, Love (India Hemsworth) can probably be classified as a mortal transformed into a god. Following her resurrection, Love is described as a “child born from Eternity” and is capable of wielding Stormbreaker. Expect big things from her.
Other Gods
If you take a look at the credits, you’ll find a ton of other gods listed who you might’ve missed during the film itself. These are Flower God, Aztec God, Artemis, Elche Goddess, Mayan God, Minerva, Goddess of the Dead, Jademurai God, and Fur God.
Thor: Love and Thunder is playing in theaters now.