The (Norse) mythology surrounding Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder has been explored a lot over the trilogy of Thor movies we’ve seen so far. One of the most important players conspicuous by their absence, though, is Beta Ray Bill, a fan favourite ally of the Asgardian’s from the comics. That’s unfortunate, too, as audiences would love to see the character on the big screen and, as it turns out, so would at least one important figure behind the scenes of the MCU.
While talking with CinemaBlend, Thor: Ragnarok‘s VFX lead Jake Morrison expressed a desire to have Beta Ray Bill brought into the franchise in the future. As a horse-faced alien, the character would likely be created via CGI and Morrison would love to get a chance to work on him. In particular, he’d like to recreate a classic comic book moment.
“I think I would love to do something with Beta Ray Bill, having been in the Thor universe for a good while. We put a small Easter egg on the tower in Sakaar, which is great fun, but I think he’s such a cool character, and the Walt Simonson run in the comics, that one, that iconic cover with Beta Ray Bill in full regalia, clashing with the Mighty Thor. I think that’s an immensely cool moment.”
As Morrison mentions, Bill sort of has already appeared in the MCU. In Thor: Ragnarok, the Grandmaster’s tower on Sakaar sported enormous busts of the previous champions of his arena battles. These included other lesser-known comic book characters like Man-Thing, Bi-Beast and Ares, as well as one that’s been confirmed as Beta Ray Bill. It was an easily-missed easter egg, but it does tell fans that he exists in the MCU and would act as a neat bit of foreshadowing if Bill appears later on.
Unfortunately, we’re not sure exactly where the Thor franchise is headed at the moment. Though Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has expressed interest in making a Thor 4, Chris Hemsworth recently cast doubt on his future with the MCU when he admitted that his contract with Marvel is up and it would take “the right script” for him to be tempted back. Still, if the God of Thunder’s story really is over, Beta Ray Bill could always turn up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 instead, right?
