Up until the release of Thor: Ragnarok, Idris Elba was far from enthusiastic about his recurring role as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s resident keeper of the Bifrost. That’s completely understandable, too, when he wasn’t given a great deal to do other than stand there and look stoic with his gigantic sword, and the actor admitted that he’d lost all interest in the superhero series before Taika Waititi came along.
Heimdall may have perished during the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War, but Elba and Waititi were photographed together attending a rugby match in Australia, shortly before shooting on sequel Thor: Love and Thunder kicked off. While it could just be a coincidence that two friends were hanging out Down Under, the travel restrictions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic made it feel a lot more likely that it was a professional visit.
Not only that, but every single recognizable actor spotted in the vicinity of the film’s cast recently has since been confirmed for a role in the movie, a list that includes Matt Damon, Jeff Goldblum, Russell Crowe and Melissa McCarthy. By that logic, it’s not surprising that we’ve heard from our sources this week – the same ones who told us the Guardians of the Galaxy were dropping by for a role long before Vin Diesel made it public – that Heimdall is set to make an appearance in the Odinson’s fourth solo outing.
Of course, there’s the obvious obstacle of him being dead, but let’s not forget that Elba got his name on the Avengers: Age of Ultron poster simply by appearing in a vision, so we could see Thor: Love and Thunder rely on a similar tactic or even flashbacks to bring back another one of the franchise’s most popular legacy players. Not to mention that the multiverse might also factor in as well.