Every Major Cameo In Thor: Love And Thunder, Ranked

In the age of the interconnected movie universe, there are few concepts more enticing than a cameo. Marvel has built a billion-dollar franchise on this phenomenon alone, training its fans to anticipate appearances from their favorite heroes to an almost Pavlovian degree. Of course, the cameos have only increased in number with each installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the deeper we get, the more each film feels like a springboard for another character down the line.

That's definitely the case for "Thor: Love and Thunder," the latest outing for the Norse god played by Chris Hemsworth. The film is bursting with new and old faces, and it's also focusing one of the most tragically underwritten characters in the MCU, Natalie Portman's Jane Foster. With so many characters to reunite with, it can be hard to get proper time with each of them. Let's break down each cameo in "Thor: Love and Thunder," and whether each character gets their deserved time in the sun.

Warning: spoilers below for "Thor: Love and Thunder."

"Thor: Love and Thunder" is all about the gods and their respective foibles. While one or two deities have been enough for the first few phases of Marvel films, Phase 4 is slowly lifting the veil on the more cosmic side of things — and "Love and Thunder" made a giant leap in that direction as well. The film introduces us to Omnipotence City, a realm where all manner of gods get to chill and revel together in harmony. Zeus (Russell Crowe) is the ringleader of this operation, but he's not the only Greek god in town. Veteran actor Simon Russell Beale ("The Outfit," "The Death of Stalin") appears as Dionysus, the god of wine and wild parties.

Unfortunately, Beale isn't given very much to do in "Love and Thunder" either. With so much ground to cover — and so many other gods to reference — we don't get to spend much time with him. In fact, Beale's cameo is very much a blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair. But Marvel finally seems ready to set up a larger vehicle for its pantheon of gods, so there's a chance we could see Dionysus again very soon.

Speaking of fan favorites: Idris Elba is also back as Heimdall, everyone's favorite glowy-eyed portal opener. Heimdall makes an appearance in the post-credits stinger for "Love and Thunder," but his cameo is similarly brief. He's pretty much there to welcome Jane to Valhalla and thank her for protecting the son we knew nothing about until this film. That said, it's great that Elba has managed to appear in every "Thor" film from the very beginning. His appearance — as well as Jane's presence in Valhalla — has already kicked up theories of a possible return for his character. Knowing what we know about Marvel, nothing is set in stone, not even death, apparently. If Jane somehow finds her way back to the land of the living, could Heimdall do the same?

Taika Waititi is known to invite some of his frequent collaborators onto multiple projects — bonus points if said collaborators happen to hail from New Zealand as well. The director has also worked with several of his co-stars from the original "What We Do in the Shadows," like Jermaine Clement and Rhys Darby, and "Love and Thunder" continues the streak with Jonathan Brugh.

Brugh appears as Rapu, the god of Gorr's unnamed world. His role in the film is equal parts absurd and profound: Rapu's dismissal of the mortals who worship him is right in line with Waititi's cheeky humor. But it's also juxtaposed against the depth of Gorr's anguish. He's finally face-to-face with the god he's dedicated his entire life to, the god he continued to honor even after the death of his daughter, and he can't be bothered in the least. It's a crucial moment to get right, especially since this catalyzes Gorr's rebirth as the God Butcher, and Brugh definitely nails his part in it.

Now, I'll never say no to any Guardians of the Galaxy content. Starlord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot (voiced by Vin Deisel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) are all fantastic characters with a fantastic dynamic, and it feels like forever since we've seen them in action. Unfortunately, their cameo in "Love and Thunder" is another case of "Too Many Characters, Not Enough Time to Enjoy Them."

The main interaction between Thor and the Guardians happens in one chaotic go. It's enough to give us a taste of the kooky dynamic — which has only grown in absurdity with Thor around — but it doesn't really do much in the grand scheme. And that's a real shame, because inducting Thor into the group was one of the more inspired developments of the "Avengers" films.

We've been curious about how exactly Thor would fit into the Guardians family since he rode off into the sunset with them in "Endgame," and it seemed like "Love and Thunder" would deliver more than just a taste of that dynamic. Sadly, it was over before it began, making their cameo feel less like a narrative necessity and more like a tease for their return in "Guardians 3." Fortunately, it seems like Thor will have a bit of a role to play in the Guardian's third MCU outing, so there's hope for this group yet.

The particular brand of humor in the latest "Thor" films might not be for everyone, but there's definitely nothing funnier than Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, and Sam Neill's respective cameos in "Thor: Ragnarok." The trio of actors appeared as stage versions of Loki, Thor, and Odin respectively, in a low-budget dramatization of Thor's adventures in "The Dark World." Now, they're back — and they've brought a few more familiar faces into the fold.

Damon, Hemsworth, and Neill resume their roles as Actor Loki, Actor Thor, and Actor Odin, acting out the events of "Ragnarok" for tourists on New Asgard. Their deeply committed troupe is now just a little bigger with the presence of Melissa McCarthy, who joins as the actor playing Hela. McCarthy's husband Ben Falcone also taps in as the director of their little production. It's a hilarious scene and a perfect example of one of the "Ragnarok" bits that worked best in the film.