It’s no secret that The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth franchise, with plenty of exciting properties taking the spotlight on the small and silver screens. Phase Four introduced a ton of characters, although some had issues with that slate of projects. Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder was no exception in that regard. That blockbuster featured Russell Crowe as Zeus, with the mid-credits scene teasing what’s to come in the future. So is Crowe going to be back for another appearance in the MCU? Here’s his honest thoughts.
Russell Crowe has had a long and wildly successful career, notably performing in dramas like The Gladiator and Les Miserables. But he was able to flex his comedic muscles as Zeus in the fourth Thor movie, to the joy of moviegoers. The Oscar-winning actor recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he was asked if he’d be back in another Thor movie, possibly alongside Brett Goldstein’s Hercules. He responded honestly, saying:
Well, nobody's brought anything up with me, but, I mean, it seems like that's the idea at the end of the last one, right? But, I don't really know. Yeah, look, if you're a young actor and you get the opportunity to be on a set with Taika Waititi, take it. It's a lot of fun, he's a creative genius, but he's also just a lovely bloke.
There you have it. While Russell Crowe seems like he’d be down to return to the MCU as Zeus (complete with his wild costume), he hasn’t heard any news about when this might be happening. But he’s citing the Love and Thunder mid-credits scene as a clear opportunity to bring him back. Fingers crossed we find out sooner rather than later.
Crowe’s comments about his possible Thor future come as he’s promoting his new horror movie The Pope’s Exorcist. The conversation eventually turned to his time in the MCU, which is an experience that countless Marvel stars are no doubt quite familiar with. And smart money says that these types of queries are going to continue until we’ve got official news about whether or not the Boy Erased actor will be back in the shared universe.
Later in that same interview, Russell Crowe shared what it was like filming Thor: Love and Thunder as his campy version of Zeus. Obviously he loved his time working with Taika Waititi, but his praise also extended to franchise star Chris Hemsworth. In his words:
I didn't know Chris Hemsworth very well at all yeah before working with him and I was really pleasantly surprised at what a good actor he is. And he's got great comedy chops, man. He's just funny. And he's a really warm welcoming fella, so we just went to town with that. I mean, what you see when you're at the movie theater is this big, sumptuous, amazing set, but in reality, it's just me, and Chris, and a couple of cardboard boxes covered in blue shit, you know?
Some serious points were made. While moviegoers get to see the finished product of Marvel blockbusters, actually filming it is an entirely different process. Because projects like the Thor movies require the cast to really lean on their sense of imagination, especially when acting opposite tennis balls or on a full green screen set. Luckily Crowe was able to do just that, and seemed particularly impressed with what Hemsworth was able to pull off.
Thor: Love and Thunder marked the first time that a Marvel hero was given a fourth solo movie. And the movie’s ending seemingly set up future installments, especially with Hemsworth’s title character adopting a daughter. Add in Zeus and Hercules’ mid-credits scene, and it seems like the God of Thunder has plenty to grapple with future projects.
The entire Thor franchise is currently streaming on Disney+. The next installment in the MCU is Guardians 3 on May 5th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
