Thor: Love and Thunder gave a great look into the divine side of Marvel when Thor-and-friends visited Omnipotence City and mingled with deities of every sort. From Zeus to (almost) Bastet, gods from across the length and breadth of mythology gathered to convene on how to address the threat of Gorr the God Butcher (and the plan for the next orgy, of course).
Fans have, of course, seen plenty of Marvel's take on Norse mythology in the Thor films, including visiting over half of the Nine Realms. That being said, it was still great fun to get a glimpse at the deities from other pantheons who've featured in the comics for decades with some fun opportunities for cameos along the way.
Recently, director Taika Waititi shared one cameo that didn't make the final film: Jesus Christ himself.
Jesus Christ Nearly Graced Omnipotence City
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi shared a plan to include a key real-world religious figure in the film.
When asked by film critic Ali Plumb about any gods "too mad" to include in the film, Waititi remarked that he was "surprised the god of dumplings made it."
Perhaps the most unique mention came when he went on to point to a scene where Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie mentions a "god of carpentry" and adds that "there was supposed to be a cutaway to you-know-who. Big J." This is a clear reference to Jesus Christ, who—according to popular belief—was a carpenter before he began preaching.
In the newest Assembled documentary, fans are given a better glimpse at some of the gods who managed to make it into the film. Makeup Department Head Matteo Silvi notes that “Makeup-wise, in the Golden Temple, we had 18-20 gods to create…”
Among those was Stephen Hunter's "Fur God" or "Fur Dog" as he likes to be called, pictured above on the right as a sort of hairy head with feet. According to Hunter, "he’s just gonna be chatting to Thor about orgies and stuff.”
Also of note is an Aztec-themed god that Matteo Silvi notes "looks like a glass mosaic in his face" who wore a suit, but was realized in detail with painted hands and feet in addition to his intricate face design.
An obstacle for the makeup team was the Greek god Dionysus, who Waititi wanted "to look like a marble statue." The effect was realized with cracks across his skin and a stern face straight out of a Classical Age sculpture.
Marvel Plays It Safe Regarding the Gods
While including Jesus in the way Taika Waititi mentioned would certainly have been a shocking and memorable scene, it's one that would likely have sat poorly with some religious viewers. Featuring Christ in a sequence that includes conversations about orgies and features a nude Thor would almost certainly have caused a controversy that Marvel (and Disney especially) likely saw as not worth the backlash.
The overwhelming majority of the gods shown in the film were either original creations like Fur Dog, inspired characters like the Aztec god, or characters from ancient belief systems like Zeus, Dionysus, and Thor himself. The latter group is commonly featured in all manner of fiction and is no stranger to appearances in Marvel comics. While there is a Marvel Comics canon version of Jesus (because of course there is), it seems he won't be featured in the MCU anytime soon.
To get a glimpse at all the divinities who made their way into Thor 4, be sure to check out the newest Assembled documentary that details the making of the film. It's available for viewing now, only on Disney+.
