Thor: Love and Thunder was full of surprises, but it’s biggest was perhaps one that came after the credits started rolling. A brief mid-credits scene introduced fans to Hercules, played by Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein, in a reveal that will likely serve to continue the adventures of Thor and his cohorts. The cameo caught global audiences off guard, and apparently, it was just as much of a shock to the film’s writer as it was to everyone else.
Screenwriter Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who partnered with director Taika Waititi to craft Love and Thunder’s story, told Variety that she was mostly unaware of Hercules’ inclusion before seeing it at the premiere. However, the creative didn’t seem to mind being left out of that decision:
I saw that at the premiere with everybody else. In the same way that I guess Taika didn’t know Thor was coming back, I did not know that Roy Kent was Hercules. I’m a huge Marvel fan, so I was delighted to have one moment in the movie where I was truly surprised.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
When pressed over how she could have gotten all the way to the film’s release without knowing about the cameo, Robinson admitted she did have some idea the appearance could be happening. It would seem not all conversations at Marvel Studios are as secretive as people think:
I knew there was talk about Hercules. The name Hercules was not not said in conversations that I definitely, probably wasn’t supposed to overhear, but did. So the minute I saw the beginning of the scene, I knew he was gonna be talking to Hercules. I didn’t know who they cast. But I was like, is this gonna be Hercules? I just knew that it was a thing that they were like, “We’re gonna want leeway with this, so stay away from it.”
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
The last bit of Robinson’s quote is especially interesting, as it could suggest Marvel’s plans for the future of Goldstein’s character are still being figured out. Also, the fact that the film’s writer was kept in the dark about the script’s addition speaks volumes about the lengths Marvel will go to maintain a big reveal.
Source: Variety
