Idris Elba Just Teased His Return To Marvel
Idris Elba might have let slip he's coming back to Marvel.
This article is more than 2 years old
It’s apparently rare for a character to stay dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as we’ve seen from the Red Skull’s appearance in Avengers: Endgame and Heimdall’s allegedly teased return to the franchise in one of the upcoming MCU movies. Red Skull reappeared after sixteen movies and an entire MCU phase after his death in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, while Idris Elba possibly just teased his return to the MCU.
During the press tour for The Suicide Squad, an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics team of the same name, Elba pointed out that the word “seemingly” carries a lot of weight regarding Heimdall’s death, according to Comic Book. For those in need of more context, Elba was asked about his appearance in the DC Universe and whether he considers himself a DC-exclusive actor, now that Heimdall “seemingly” perished in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In response, the actor expressed his excitement about the possibilities in the DC Universe but made “seemingly” into a pretty noteworthy word in the interview.
Idris Elba’s Heimdall first appeared in 2011’s Thor, where he served as a gatekeeper of Asgard, a god of keen eyesight and hearing, and a loyal friend of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. He also reprised his role in subsequent Thor movies, titled The Dark World, and Ragnarok, while briefly appearing in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was released between the two Thor sequels. Following the events of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, Heimdall found himself on the Asgardian refugee ship traveling to Earth, as depicted at the beginning of 2018’s Avengers: The Infinity War.
Sadly, Heimdall met his end at the hand of Thanos, the franchise’s ultimate antagonist, after he sent Hulk to the Sanctum Sanctorum to warn the Avengers about the Mad Titan’s arrival. Unfortunately, as he didn’t die from the Snap, he wasn’t resurrected during the Endgame, so Heimdall’s death was permanent. Or so it seemed, considering that Idris Elba might’ve just teased Heimdall’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sparking up rumors that he might appear in Thor: Love and Thunder, which is making some strong 80s fashion statements.
And indeed, Idris Elba was spotted hanging out with Taika Waititi, the director of the fourth Thor installment, prior to the principal photography for Thor: Love and Thunder – a movie that, according to its director, shouldn’t even be made. It’s worth noting that he was spotted hanging out with the cast members during the coronavirus pandemic at its peak when any and all forms of travel were discouraged or even banned. So it stands to reason that he might’ve been a secret part of the cast for the upcoming movie. Unfortunately, the people responsible for the Marvel Cinematic Universe haven’t made any official comments regarding his involvement. Still, Elba’s latest response sparked hope that he might appear in the upcoming movie.
This leaves us with two options: either Idris Elba’s Heimdall somehow survived or even came back to life and dodged the fate of Uncle Ben, who is one of the few Marvel Cinematic Universe characters who hasn’t escaped death, or he died and appears in a flashback sequence in the upcoming movie, which preserves the integrity of his death within the narrative. Whatever the case may be, we’ll have to wait for Thor: Love and Thunder, expected on May 6, 2022, to find out.
