Warning: SPOILERS are ahead for Spider-Man: No Way Home!
Thanks to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, not only has Peter Parker’s civilian life been thrown into disarray, but Stephen Strange has a lot of trouble coming his way in a few months in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But that may not be the only upcoming movie for which No Way Home planted a narrative seed. It turns out the latest Web-Slinging movie may have also provided a clue for a twist in Thor: Love and Thunder.
During one of the news broadcasts in Spider-Man: No Way Home, there’s a chyron that mentions something to the effect of there being political turmoil in New Asgard, the community established by Thor, Valkyrie and the surviving Asgardians in Norway following the Snap. Before cutting to another scene, this chyron starts to display something starting with the letter Z, but we never see what it is.
This isn’t much to work with on its own, but those who have been following along with Thor: Love and Thunder’s development might immediate realize what that Z could stand for. Back in April, Russell Crowe that he’s appearing in the fourth Thor movie as Zeus, king of the Olympians. It’s also important to remember that Christian Bale is starring as Gorr the God Butcher in Love and Thunder, who, like his comic book counterpart, has made it his mission to eradicate all deities in existence.
Taking all this into account, Redditor KingEuronIIIGreyjoy theorizes that after being targeted by Gorr, Zeus and other Olympians will travel to New Asgard during Thor: Love and Thunder to seek help from Thor. However, with Thor out in the cosmos hanging out with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Zeus will instead meet with Valkyrie, who Thor appointed as the new leader of New Asgard. This results in the political turmoil teased in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and may also set the stage for Jane Foster transforming into The Mighty Thor.
Since Zeus reportedly won’t have a major role in Thor: Love and Thunder, this is a decent guess on how he factors into the story. After spending more than a decade following along with Asgardian society, Gorr the God Butcher’s rampage provides a good enough reason for why the Olympians would show up on Earth. More importantly, this can lay the groundwork for Zeus’ son Hercules to protect the people of Earth as a superhero, just like Thor’s been doing.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to hit theaters on July 8, 2022, and as soon as concrete plot details come in about the Phase 4 release, we’ll pass them along. Our upcoming Marvel movies guide is also available to peruse if you’re curious about what else is on the MCU film slate.
