Was Hercules Removed From Thor: Love and Thunder Trailer?

At long last, the first teaser for Thor: Love and Thunder has arrived, giving fans plenty of frames to pore over in the coming days days. As some were quick to notice, at least one shot included in the trailer was ripped straight from the beloved Thor comic series from Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic. In another moment, however, it appears a character has been mysteriously removed from the frame in question. Due to some other Easter eggs included in the trailer, we have a peculiar prediction on who the removed character could be.

For a moment, let’s just say Hercules appears in the flick — is it possible he’s in the movie, but was removed from any trailer footage to keep the surprise alive? The Avenger has long been a favorite amongst fans of the source material, and he’s a character many have speculated could appear due to the film’s introduction of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale).

The scene in question shows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Korg (Taika Waititi) looking up toward the sky The two, however, are stationed off the one side of the screen while the entire left third is completely empty, creating an unbalanced frame that was likely altered by Marvel Studios and its visual effects vendors.

You see, Olympians will make an appearance at some point in the film. In fact, Russell Crowe’s Zeus even appeared in the teaser, summoning his classic lightning bolt. Should Zeus meet his end by the sword of Gorr, it stands to reason Hercules — one of the god’s many children — would want to make things right or avenge his fallen father, if you will.

Both Mighty Thor (Jane Foster) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) could both be a choice to appear in the scene in question, but both of those two were also unveiled in the trailer. On that front, it wouldn’t make much logical sense for either of the characters to be removed since they’re already seen in the same promotional video.

Taika Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok, returns to direct Thor: Love and Thunder. He also co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The film and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Jaimie Alexander, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Jeff Goldblum, and Vin Diesel.

Thor: Love and Thunder opens in theaters on July 8th.

What other surprises do you think are in store for Thor: Love and Thunder? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!