The latest release for the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally arrived.

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Thor: Love and Thunder sees the God of Thunder himself (Chris Hemsworth) reunited with allies to battle a terrifying new villain in the form of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale).

Among his comrades in this fight are the warrior and monarch King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), his friend Korg (director Taika Waititi) and his ex-girlfriend Dr Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) - who now wield Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor.

Together, this rag-tag group of heroes hope to save the world from the evil new danger who is killing gods left, right and centre.

If you haven’t seen the ending of Thor: Love and Thunder yet then look away now, but if you have seen it, for Gods’ sake (see what we did there) keep reading.

Additionally, if you want to watch the Marvel movies in order then we have you covered.

**Spoiler warning for Thor: Love and Thunder**

Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene one: Hercules!

Russell Crowe as Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder
Russell Crowe as Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder Disney

The first after-credits scene picks up with Russell Crowe’s Greek God Zeus, who Thor and his friends clashed with earlier in the film. The good news? Thor didn’t kill him after all! The bad news? Now he’s out for revenge.

“It used to be that being a God, it meant something,” Zeus complains in a darkened room, noting that the pantheon of various deities has been replaced in the hearts of people by colourful superheroes.

“No more – they will fear us again, when Thor Odinson falls from the sky,” Zeus continues. “Do you understand me, Hercules, my son?”

Cut to Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein debuting as Hercules! “Yes, father!” he replies, cradling a mace in a menacing fashion (as if there’s any other way to cradle a mace).

Brett Goldstein attends the UK Gala screening of "Thor: Love and Thunder" on July 05, 2022 in London, England.
Brett Goldstein attends the UK Gala screening of "Thor: Love and Thunder" on July 05, 2022 in London, England. Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

This scene appears to set up a future conflict between the Gods – possibly in a future Thor movie, possibly in an earlier team-up – and also introduces Hercules, a longstanding character in Marvel comics only now making the jump to the MCU.

Like Thor, the Hercules of the comics is based on the God of myth, and has regularly joined up with heroic groups like the Avengers and the Champions to battle villainy across decades of stories. He often spars with or has a rivalry with Thor, and it looks like the MCU is drawing on that tradition for Goldstein’s version of the character.

Anyway it’s a very fun casting for a great character, and we’re sure fans will enjoy seeing Goldstein in action – however and whenever that actually ends up happening onscreen.

Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene two: Valhalla

The second post-credits scene picks up after (spoiler!) Jane Foster’s death during the main events of the film. After dissolving into glowing dust in the final battle with Gorr, Jane rematerializes beside some unusual gates in a beautiful, wide-open world.

She’s in Valhalla – the traditional resting place of Norse Gods and warriors who die in battle. And there to greet her is Idris Elba’s Heimdall, last seen being killed off in Avengers: Infinity War.

“Jane Foster – I see you’re dead now,” he tells her, thanking Jane for helping his son Axel/Astrid survive Gorr’s imprisonment.

Idris Elba as Heimdall in Thor: Ragnarok (Marvel, HF)

“Welcome to Valhalla.”

The scene ends there with the onscreen message "Thor will return" – but which Thor? While we would have assumed Hemsworth’s Thor would be back in action again, the message’s proximity to a scene starring the film’s other Thor, Jane, could imply she’ll somehow be back herself.

“But she’s dead,” you may cry – but who’s to say that stops anything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Maybe this tease of Valhalla could hint at a story set there with other deceased god-types, possibly tying in with an upcoming Marvel Project (Loki season two is currently filming, after all).

Or maybe it’s just a nice send-off for Jane, and the “Thor will return” message is exactly as it first appears. Either way, we’ll be watching the future of the franchise with interest…

Thor: Love and Thunder is in UK cinemas now. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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Authors

Huw FullertonCommissioning Editor

Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.

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