Thor will return? Chris Hemsworth found 'Love and Thunder' end-credits scene 'a surprise' (spoilers)

Spoiler alert: The following discusses the end-credits scene in Marvel's "Thor: Love and Thunder." So stop reading if you haven't seen the biggest Thor ever!

THOR WILL RETURN.

That line appears on the screen at the end of "Thor: Love and Thunder" after Chris Hemsworth's Nordic demigod battles alongside Natalie Portman's amped-up Jane, now the hammer-wielding Mighty Thor.

Hemsworth, watching the movie for the first time at the "Love and Thunder" world premiere last month, was like, "Wait, um, what?"

After four solo films and eight Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances, Hemsworth says he hasn't even discussed a Thor return. He was perplexed enough to quiz Portman about the revelation the next day.

"Can I be honest?" Hemsworth tells USA TODAY. "I asked Natalie today, I was like, is that you or me? ... That was a surprise to me. I literally said that to Natalie, 'Are they talking about you or me?' Because I don't know."

Hemsworth says that while there's no specific plan for Thor return, he's game when his name is called.

"I love playing this character, and until someone says 'We're done with you,' I'll keep giving it a crack," Hemsworth says.

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So will Thor battle Zeus and Hercules in the next Marvel movie?

Looks like Zeus (Russell Crowe) is not the jovial Greek god seen in early "Love and Thunder" moments, when he danced in his gold armor while wearing a tutu.

A post-credits scene depicts Zeus snarling, talking about putting fear into humans again.

"It seems to me that being a god used to mean something," Zeus growls. "Now people just want superheroes. When did we become the joke?" He then looks to his son, Hercules, played by Brett Goldstein, the British actor who stars as foul-mouthed footballer Roy Kent in "Ted Lasso."

Oy! That was a shocker and explains why Goldstein attended the London "Love and Thunder" premiere.

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The scene clearly suggests that Zeus and half-human Hercules, who is both a Thor villain and ally in the Marvel comic books, are going to be causing trouble for humans, and maybe Nordic demigods.

Director Taika Waititi claims ignorance on the bigger MCU picture. After Zeus was written into the "Love and Thunder" screenplay, Waititi was mulling a few actors. But he met up with his friend Crowe during pre-production and got hit by the casting lightning bolt.

"We were hanging out having a drink, and I was looking at (Crowe) and suddenly I thought, 'You're Zeus, man,' " Waititi says.

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Russell Crowe's Zeus shows a darker side in his post-credits scene

Crowe has already displayed the menace with zany Zeus, trying to entertain the other gods as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) is on the loose. The outfit took little convincing given its resemblance to "Gladiator," with a tutu twist.

"I was like, 'Wear this tutu thing because I find it funny and everyone's going to fall deeply in love with you,' " Waititi says. "And he owned it."

Yet Crowe's Zeus already showed a formidable darker side in that no-joking post-credits scene.

"He can absolutely turn that on, we can already see that," Hemsworth says. "And I think there's much more to come."

All universe-seeing Marvel president Kevin Feige requested the end scene with Zeus and Hercules.

"I didn't even realize that Hercules was part of the MCU," Waititi says. "So we'll see. It's great tease and great to see him in it. I love the idea of the war of the gods."

Hemsworth isn't sure whether Thor will be taking on Hercules, Zeus or any other combination of Greek heroes.

"They like to throw things out there. It's an experiment," Hemsworth says. "But I'd love to go down that path."

But how can Natalie Portman's Mighty Thor return?

A potential problem is that Portman's Jane Foster (aka Mighty Thor) dies at the end of "Love and Thunder," succumbing to cancer after battling Gorr alongside Thor.

A second post-credit scene features Portman awakening after her screen death in the Nordic warrior heaven Valhalla, greeted by the Asgardian warrior Heimdall (Idris Elba), guardian of the Bifrost Bridge. (Thor's BFF was killed by Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War.")

"I see you're dead now," Heimdall says. "You are very welcome in the land of the gods. Welcome to Valhalla."

In any other universe, being dead is a problem. But in the MCU, dying on screen is a manageable condition.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Thor: Love and Thunder' end credits scene surprised Chris Hemsworth