Idris Elba has just switched from the MCU to the DCEU with The Suicide Squad, but it might not be permanent. The British star has played Heimdall, the wise Asgardian gatekeeper of the Bifrost, since 2011’s Thor, but his character was tragically killed off at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War. However, as pretty much all of the characters who died in that movie have since returned in some form, there’s a chance Heimdall’s story is not over yet.
In a recent interview for the Suicide Squad press tour, Elba hinted that there may be something in the works, cryptically commenting that Heimdall only “seemingly” died in Infinity War. While chatting to Entertainment Tonight, Elba has opened up even more about a potential return to the Marvel universe, remarking that he thinks Thor’s old ally “still exists”, reminding fans that everything’s possible in the superhero genre.
“I think the constraints of the sort of superhero universe are none, so everything is possible,” Elba said. “I think that Heimdall is an amazing character and still exists.”
It’s possible that Elba is alluding to him reprising his role in Marvel’s upcoming What If…? animated series. He’s not among the 50 actors who’ve been confirmed for the first season, though, but a second run is already in the works so he may have signed on to voice Heimdall in that. However, even if that’s the case, he’d be playing an alternate variant of the Asgardian and not the actual one so that wouldn’t seem to fit with his comments.
The obvious place for Heimdall to be revived is in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Not only did Waititi give the character a fair chunk of screentime in 2017’s Ragnarok, the pair also both appeared in The Suicide Squad. So another collaboration is a strong possibility. But that’s just a bit of speculation. While we wait for more on Heimdall’s future, catch Idris Elba in The Suicide Squad, in theaters and on streaming now.
