Thor: Love and Thunder finally opened in theaters around the world, and, as expected, opinions are divided: either you love it or you hate it. Whether you are of one group or the other, you should know that this movie marks a before and after in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; this becomes clear to us after watching the post-credits scenes that we will talk about below.
If you haven’t seen Thor: Love and Thunder and want to know if it has post-credits scenes, the answer is yes. You’ll see the first one halfway through the credits and the second one until the end. Both are worth it, so if you’re a fan of the MCU you have to stick around to see them. Below we explain these scenes. Needless to say, there will be spoilers that may ruin the experience for you if you haven’t seen the movie. If you have, stop reading and come back to this post when you’ve left the theater.
Olympus
In the first post-credits scene we learn that Zeus (played by Russell Crowe, aka “Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Northern Armies, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant of the true Emperor Marcus Aurelius”) did not die and is cared for by his wives.
The god is jealous because humans prefer superheroes to gods, whom they have reduced to a joke. Zeus decides it is time to teach the humans a lesson and calls upon his champion to punish them on his behalf. The champion in question is Hercules (played by Brett Goldstein).
If you’re a longtime fan of Marvel comics, then you know that Hercules is one of the publisher’s classic characters. The only difference between the one in mythology and the one in the comics is that Marvel’s Hercules achieved the status of God of the Force.
He was first Thor’s rival/enemy and then one of his fellow adventurers. He has been a key part of several Avengers formations and was also part of the first lineup of the team known as The Champions (along with Ghost Rider, Ice Man, Black Widow, and Angel).
Hercules was in charge of training Eric Masterson, a human who acquired Thor’s power for a time and was given the name Thunderstrike. And although he was always considered a “womanizer,” his status as a pansexual character was recently clarified.
Jane Foster
Jane Foster is more Thor than Thor himself. So worthy that the Mjolnir obeys her more than the God of Thunder himself. In the film, we see how Thor’s good wishes enchant the hammer, and so it protects her, but it is the fact that she is “worthy” that gives her the powers of a god (crying in Asgardian).
In the second post-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder, we see how Heimdall receives her in Valhalla, the mythical place where the warriors of Asgard who die in battle go to rest. You can only get there by dying in battle and nothing else.
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a huge and majestic hall located in the city of Asgard ruled by Odin. Here we see that it’s more like a big city in the sky, not unlike the rest of the realms we see in the MCU.
“I guess there was a time when I was dazzled-eyed and smitten and the idea of someday being Mrs. Thor seemed like the biggest dream of my life. But then I grew up. I was a doctor. A mother who lost her son. A woman with a lump in her chest that tried to kill her. A goddess of thunder. An avenger. A Valkyrie. I don’t dream much anymore. I’m too busy living,” Jane says in one of her best lines as Thor.
In the comics, after her death, Jane Foster returns as a Valkyrie who fights for the living and the dead. Will the MCU see her return as one of these characters?
Story originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva