The newest film in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to make its debut on July 8, 2022. Thor: Love and Thunder, directed by Taika Waititi, will be the fourth installment of the Thor franchise and the 29th film in the MCU. Much has changed since the Odinson’s first MCU appearance, and this film will see Thor ⏤ once again played by Chris Hemsworth ⏤ deal with his new place in the universe after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Hemsworth will be joined by an all-star cast including the returning actors Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson as Jane Foster, aka the Mighty Thor, and Valkyrie the King of New Asgard, respectively. They will be joined by Christian Bale as the villain Gorr the God Butcher and Russell Crowe as the Greek god Zeus. While the main players of the film have already appeared in the trailers, Marvel usually keeps at least one or two cards up its sleeve. Which new or returning Marvel characters might turn up in Thor: Love and Thunder, you ask? We have some ideas.
Hercules
If Gorr the God Butcher is on the hunt for gods to kill, having Hercules appear in Thor: Love and Thunder would not only make sense, but it could be the film’s best-kept secret. In Marvel Comics, Hercules Panhellenios was introduced in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 in August 1945. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Hercules is the son of Zeus, the God who is set to be introduced in the upcoming film. Hercules is often in competition with Thor and has more of a reputation for partying than Thor does.
In the comic books, Hercules is not only connected to the gods, but he also appears fighting alongside Thor and was a member of both the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. With Gorr hunting gods, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Zeus, and Thor all appearing in this film, it would be a shame if Hercules did not appear in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Erik Selvig
Given that he hasn’t been seen in an MCU film since Avengers: Age of Ultron, an appearance from Erik Selvig in Thor: Love and Thunder would be greatly appreciated. Played by Stellan Skarsgård, the world-renowned astrophysicist first appeared in 2011’s Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh.
After being mentioned across several MCU projects ⏤ including Spider-Man: Far From Home, where he was featured in a documentary called Nova: Einstein Rosen Bridges with Dr. Erik Selvig on the plane Peter Parker took to Europe, and more recently in Ms. Marvel ⏤ it seems odd that the character hasn’t popped up in any of the films since 2015. His close ties to the Thor franchise and knowledge of astrophysics might come in handy with Gorr running around, so we’re definitely hoping to see Selvig appear in Love and Thunder.
Darcy Lewis
Having previously made an appearance in WandaVision, Darcy Lewis is played by Kat Dennings in the MCU. First appearing as the comic-relief character in Thor, Darcy has had three other MCU appearances in the years since. The main reason we want her to appear in Love and Thunder is that her reaction to Jane Foster as Thor would be priceless. Darcy often bring necessary comedy to the MCU projects she’s appeared in, so her reaction to her old boss becoming the Mighty Thor would be hilarious.
It’s possible that her appearance in WandaVision signals a new path for Darcy moving forward in the MCU, meaning that she won’t appear in the film, but at least one scene between her and Jane Foster in Love and Thunder would be tremendous.
Loki
Loki has not missed a Thor film yet, so if he were to not get even a cameo in Love and Thunder, his absence would be felt. The character might hold the record for the Marvel villain that has been in the most MCU projects to date, as Tom Hiddleston has played the character in eight different projects including his own self-titled Disney Plus series.
Of course, the ending of Loki left Loki in quite the predicament, so he’ll need to find a way out of the TVA ruled by Kang the Conqueror if he wants to appear in Love and Thunder. The Loki who appeared in Thor is not the only Loki to appear in the MCU, as there was an abundance of Lokis in Loki. It would be terrific if somehow, perhaps in a post-credits scene, Thor is approached by Sylvie, the female variant of Loki who destroyed the sacred timeline at the end of Loki. Either way, after the way the first season of Loki ended, it would be great to see either Loki again, sooner rather than later, and hopefully in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Kang
Kang the Conqueror has yet to officially make his MCU debut despite Jonathon Majors appearing in the Loki season one finale. The actor who was cast to play Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania played He Who Remains in Loki, a variant of Kang. The character is one of the most popular Marvel villains of all time, and his presence will surely be felt across the entire MCU when he’s finally revealed.
With Kevin Feige recently saying that the future of the MCU will be teased in the months to come, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we were to see a post-credits scene in Thor: Love and Thunder featuring our first proper look at Kang.
Knull
Knull has not been around in the comics long enough for his character to have been adapted into a film just yet, but that could change in Thor: Love and Thunder. Created by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman in Venom Vol. 4 #3, Knull created the symbiote race of which Venom is a part. Knull was born from the darkness and is God of the void.
In the comics, Knull created the Necrosword, which is later used by Gorr in his hunt against the gods. In fact, Knull used the sword to decapitate a Celestial, which might be revealed in Love and Thunder to be the backstory of Knowhere, the severed head where The Collector lives in Guardians of the Galaxy. Knull might still be too new to appear in the film or he might be being saved for Sony’s Venom 3, but it would be great if Gorr’s backstory was comic-book accurate.
Hulk
We haven’t seen the Hulk in any MCU projects since Avengers: Endgame even though Bruce Banner popped up at the end of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Hulk’s appearance in Thor: Ragnarok was one of the highlights of that film, and it might have been the best example of the duality between Hulk and Bruce Banner.
Even if we don’t see the jolly green giant in Thor: Love and Thunder, we’re going to be seeing him in the upcoming Disney Plus series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. While his appearance in She-Hulk does not rule out an appearance in the film, it does make the chances of Hulk showing up rather unlikely. That said, a cameo checking in on his old pal Valkyrie would be pretty stellar.
Throg
We saw a cameo of this character in the Disney Plus series Loki, but it’s time for Throg to burst into action. In the comic books, there were a couple of different versions of the character, but essentially Throg was always a frog who carried Mjolnir and had the powers of Thor. What more could you want?
His quick appearance in Loki found Throg in a jar underground, which was a fun cameo for fans of the comic books, but if Thor: Love and Thunder has The Mighty Thor in it, then the films should introduce the other versions of Thor as well. Plus, imagine a frog slamming his hammer into his enemies alongside Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. It would be hilarious and we would cackle. Loudly.
Adam Warlock
In 2021, Will Poulter was officially cast as Adam Warlock and he is scheduled to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Adam Warlock was teased in the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and is the engineered “perfect man.” It’s unclear what role Warlock will have in the MCU as his comic book counterpart is closely associated with the Infinity Stones, specifically the Soul Stone, and they have been destroyed.
While the character is set to make his debut appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the Guardians of the Galaxy will be in Thor: Love and Thunder. While James Gunn has confirmed that he will be making his debut appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it wouldn’t be the first time Marvel pulled a bait and switch. Adam Warlock appearing in a post-credits scene of the film would be a great way to set up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is slated for release in 2023.
Beta Ray Bill
It’s unbelievable that we’ve gotten three Thor movies so far and the iconic Beta Ray Bill is nowhere to be seen. The Korbonite Beta Ray Bill was created by Walter Simonson in Thor #337 in August 1983 and he was one of the beings who managed to lift Mjolnir. Interestingly enough, his weapon is already in the MCU, since after sparing Thor’s life in the comics Odin forged Stormbreaker for him, the ax that Thor, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Eitri made in Avengers: Infinity War.
It’s quite disappointing that Beta Ray Bill, such an iconic character from the comic books, has not shown up in any of the Thor films yet. But with Thor journeying into space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, hopefully we get at least a reference to Bill in Love and Thunder.
Even if none of these character show up, Love and Thunder will most likely be an amazing fourth outing for the title character. It’s going to be exciting enough to see Jane Foster suit up as the Mighty Thor and for Gorr the God Butcher to wreak havoc that if we get any of these characters in the film, it would be icing on the cake.
We’ll know for sure when Thor: Love and Thunder thunders into theaters on July 8, 2022.