Thor: Love And Thunder Director Taika Waititi Has No Idea What's Next For That Credit Scene Character

Note: this article includes spoilers for "Thor: Love and Thunder," which is now in theaters, so don't read if you haven't seen the movie.

Fans who caught "Thor: Love and Thunder" opening night got an awesome surprise in the form of the rare superhero movie mid-credits scene that actually delivers. The scene in question features a not-so-dead Zeus (Russell Crowe) nursing his wounds after being struck down by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) during a god meeting gone awry in Omnipotence City.

Zeus mutters angrily about how the gods have become a punchline, then vows to see Thor Odinson fall. But he's not just talking to himself. A last second cutaway reveals that he's actually tasking the demigod Hercules with the responsibility of dealing with the Norse god. It's a surprising character introduction, but it's one that's made even cooler when you realize who's playing the hero: It's Brett Goldstein, the "Ted Lasso" star (and writer) known for embodying the grumpy, snarling soccer star Roy Kent in the beloved Apple TV+ comedy.

According to director Taika Waititi (as reported by Uproxx), the inclusion of Hercules came at the request of Marvel president Kevin Feige. "Kevin really wanted him to do it," Waititi tells the outlet, calling Goldstein "amazing." The filmmaker was apparently unaware of the large "Ted Lasso" fanbase, which was out in full force at the "Thor: Love and Thunder" premiere. "It was such a cool moment in the cinema where it played, that people went nuts," Waititi recalled.

Despite an end title card that promises "Thor will return," it doesn't sound like Hercules' role in the MCU has been revealed to Waititi yet. The director who has helmed the last two Thor films said he isn't sure where Goldstein's character will fit into the bigger picture. "I don't know if that's to do with Thor, or if it's to do with how that will develop," he revealed, pointing out that Hercules has his own comic books to pull from as well. The demigod has appeared in Marvel Comics since the early days, often in the same stories as Thor.

It sounds like, as with other arc-introducing Phase 4 end credits scenes, Feige is the one steering the ship."This will be interesting to see, because Kevin, he's obviously the mastermind of all of these threads and how they'll tie up and how they meet, mix and match," Waititi says. "So I'm curious to find out myself."

"Thor: Love and Thunder" is now in theaters.