Given the relatively lukewarm reactions to his first two solo outings, few people could have predicted Thor’s drastic reinvention that took place across Ragnarok and the Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame double-header that saw the God of Thunder transformed into one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most well-rounded characters.
Taika Waititi capitalized on Chris Hemsworth’s comic timing in his improv-heavy threequel to give Thor a new lease of life as the star of an offbeat intergalactic buddy movie, while the Russo brothers used the constant loss and trauma that plagued him throughout his time in the franchise as a way to give him arguably the best story arc in the two-part conclusion to the Infinity Saga, with Fat Thor becoming a cult hero in the process.
Expectations are now incredibly high for the upcoming Love and Thunder, which also gives Thor the rare distinction of being the first superhero in the MCU to get a fourth standalone movie. And as well as bringing back Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster to mirror her comic book arc, the movie also scored a huge casting coup by convincing Christian Bale to sign on as the villain.
While no plot specifics are known as of yet, we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones who told us the Guardians will cameo in Thor 4, a She-Hulk show is coming to Disney Plus and Ryan Reynolds had a cameo in Hobbs & Shaw, all of which were correct – that Love and Thunder will reportedly see Idris Elba return to the franchise. That’s right, Heimdall will soon be seen on our screens again.
From what we understand, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will blow the possibilities for multiple realities in the MCU wide open, allowing for an alternate version of Heimdall (and several others) to appear in Thor: Love and Thunder. How exactly he’ll factor into things is still unclear, but Kevin Feige has already admitted that the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel would be a game-changer and while we know that Elba wasn’t exactly thrilled with his initial involvement in the series, the chance of working with Taika Waititi again would no doubt be able to convince him to return.
