Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scenes explained

Nearly five years after Thor: Ragnarok hit theaters, Thor: Love and Thunder has arrived to continue the God of Thunder’s story. The film — directed by Taika Waititi — picks up after Avengers: Endgame.

The movie sees the God of Thunder teaming up with Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor (Natalie Portman), — who wields a semi-repaired version of the Mjolnir that Hela destroyed in Ragnarok) — Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Korg (Waititi) to stop Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) from killing every deity in existence.

MAJOR spoilers ahead for Thor: Love and Thunder.

Since Iron Man kickstarted the franchise in 2008, post-credits scenes have been integral to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, either teasing the next chapter in the series or delivering humorous beats.

Does Thor: Love and Thunder have an end-credits scene?

Love and Thunder features two exciting after-credits sequences that hint at Thor’s next adventure and give closure to a beloved character. Here, we break down the stingers and ponder what the biggest post-credits scene could entail for the MCU.

Thor: Love and Thunder first post-credits scene explained

For context, during the movie’s second act, Thor and his team travel to Omnipotent City (the home of many powerful gods) to enlist the help of Zeus in fighting Gorr. To the hero’s misfortune, Zeus turns out to be a power-hungry tyrant who captures him. But Thor is the God of Thunder, and not even Zeus will stop him from achieving his goals.

As such, the self-appointed “Strongest Avenger” defeats Zeus by taking the god’s lightning bolt and throwing it at him, seemingly killing him.

That brings us to the first post-credits scene. The sequence reveals Zeus to be alive but heavily wounded. He talks to somebody off-screen, explaining how humanity has forgotten gods in favor of superheroes. Finally, he tasks the person with killing Thor.

Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso’s Roy Kent) is part of the MCU

The camera pans and reveals the superhero Hercules, played by Brett Goldstein, best known for playing the ever-grumpy Roy Kent in Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.

For those unfamiliar with him, Hercules is the son of Zeus. He first appeared in 1965’s “Journey Into Mystery Annual” #1. He was introduced as an antagonist for Thor, but eventually became his ally and a prominent superhero in the Marvel Universe.

Thor: Love and Thunder second post-credits scene explained

Before we begin, it’s important to establish that the film’s opening sequence shows Gorr obtaining (and subsequently being possessed by) the Necrosword, a dark weapon with the power to slay gods.

Moving on to Jane, Love and Thunder reveals she has cancer. Early on in the story, she travels to New Asgard, where the shattered Mjolnir bonds with her and gives her the power to become Mighty Thor. Unfortunately, transforming into her super-powered alter ego rapidly deteriorates her human form.

During the third act, Jane and Thor struggle to stop Gorr from opening a gate to the being known as Eternity to wish for all gods to die. In order to put an end to the baddie, Jane uses Mjolnir to destroy Gorr’s Necrosword. But returning to her human form proves to be too taxing on her body, and she dies in Thor’s arms.

The film only shows her fading into golden dust, as Odin died in Ragnarok. The second after-credits sequence, however, gives Mighty Thor a happy ending.

The scene opens with Jane arriving at Valhalla. In Marvel Comics mythology, Valhalla — itself a concept taken from Norse mythology — is an Asgardian paradise, where fallen warriors go after their passing. There, she is welcomed by Heimdall, Thor’s best friend who was killed by Thanos in Infinity War.

Jane looks at Valhalla with a smile before the screen fades to black.

A title card then appears, stating “Thor Will Return.” Whether that means the God of Thunder will come back in a fifth Thor installment or in an Avengers-like team-up remains to be seen.

What does the Thor: Love and Thunder Hercules sequence mean for the MCU?

The second post-credits scene could theoretically allow for some exciting stories for Jane Foster, but overall, it seems the movie gave her a definitive happy ending. If you’re curious about where the Mighty Thor could go in the future, though, we examine possible routes for her in this article.

With that in mind, the post-credits stinger with the most potential (at the moment, at least) seems to be the first one. It may not feel like it, given how obscure he is, but Hercules (full name Hercules Panhellenios) is a prominent character in the House of Ideas’ sprawling tapestry, and he opens the possibility of an exciting new chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

To provide more context for the character, Hercules has a long legacy in Marvel. He’s been part of the Avengers for decades, having joined the team in the ’60s, and has taken part in many of the House of Ideas’ biggest events, including Civil War, World War Hulk and Secret Invasion.

Hercules has super strength, enhanced speed and durability. His power set may seem average compared to other MCU crimefighters (we have, after all, a lightning-hurling god and a teenager who builds light constructs), but the hero is actually one of Marvel’s strongest characters. In fact, he is powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Thor and the Hulk and has even been able to hurt Galactus (in 1982’s “Hercules: Prince of Power” #4).

Putting aside his relevance in comic events, Hercules comes with a whole new mythology, that being the Greek gods. Being the son of Zeus and tightly intertwined with Olympian mythology, Hercules is poised to open a new godly side of the MCU vastly different from the Nine Realms, and one which we only got a glimpse of in Love and Thunder.

Taking all of that into consideration, while his post-credits scene establishes the character as an enemy of Thor, it’s probably a set-up for a later heroic turn.

As was the case with Captain America, Iron Man and Thor before their respective theatrical adventures, Hercules is largely unknown to the general public. Regardless, he’s an important player in the Marvel Universe, which is why it wouldn’t be surprising to see him have a big role in the MCU moving forward.

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently playing in theaters.

What did you think about the Love and Thunder‘s post-credits scenes? Which one was your favorite? What do you think they mean for the future of the MCU? Let us know in the comments!