Back on Christmas Day, Melissa McCarthy and regular collaborator/director/husband Ben Falcone took to Instagram to alert Taika Waititi and the Marvel gang that they were in Australia – where McCarthy had been shooting Nine Perfect Strangers – and available to appear in Thor: Love And Thunder. They've gotten their wish, as set pictures from the film show McCarthy in particular showing up.
We've left the main details out of the intro paragraph for anyone who wants to avoid being spoiled, and you should depart via Bifrost if you don't want to know any more.
Still with us? Right then... The pictures point to Waititi setting up a sequel to the comic re-telling of Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) "noble" "sacrifice" as seen near the start of Thor: Ragnarok featuring Matt Damon as Loki, Luke Hemsworth as Thor and Sam Neill as Odin, among others. They're all back in the roles somehow for a new play that appears to be recapping Ragnarok. And McCarthy is suited up as a version of Cate Blanchett's Hela. Quite what context this falls in remains to be seen, and where it takes place is also a mystery, since Asgard is very much an ex-place after the events of Ragnarok.
There's a distinct feeling that McCarthy and Falcone were trolling the 'net, having already scored their roles (Falcone's is not so clear just yet), but it's still a fun video, which you can find below. Thor: Love And Thunder, which will also see some of the Guardians Of The Galaxy team showing up, is set for release on 11 February 2022.