Marvel Studios celebrated Disney+ Day with the streaming debut of Thor: Love and Thunder, the MCU's last theatrical release from July. This gives viewers the opportunity to revisit the movie that earned widely mixed reviews while also enjoying deleted material that didn't make the final theatrical cut.
Over the past few weeks, Marvel has shared a few of these deleted moments, which would have added a few more minutes to Thor 4's 1-hour-59-minute runtime - the shortest runtime of any Phase 4 movie to date. From more time spent with Chris Pratt's Star-Lord to Simon Russell Beale's cut role from Omnipotent City, this new footage has shown fans a deeper look into how this story could have been different.
Another moment would have changed the direction for Russell Crowe's Zeus in a major way as he would have wound up visiting Jane Foster at the hospital as she fought her battle with cancer to offer Thor "something he may need." There now appears to be more to this scene that was ultimately removed from Thor 4, leaving fans wondering what could have been for the leader of the gods.
Thor 4 Deleted Scene Leaves Fans Wanting More Zeus
Marvel Studios released a new deleted scene from Thor: Love and Thunder that featured Russell Crowe's Zeus interacting with Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman's heroes. This would have changed the scene prior when Hemsworth's Thor threw Zeus' lightning bolt straight through his chest and injured him before he escaped with Jane, Valkyrie, and Korg.
In this scene, Zeus actually comes to Earth and gives Thor some meaningful insight about his iconic weapon, the Thunderbolt. He showed Thor how the "Thunderbolt can be anything" and how the wielder only has to harness the power, which "comes from the heart:"
"I want to teach you something, something I haven’t even taught my sons…and I have a lot of sons. Thunderbolt can be anything. Thunderbolt is just electricity, you can have it anytime you call. Power is everywhere, you just have to harness it, or you point…power comes from the heart."
The full scene, which features Jane Foster's suit up as Mighty Thor, can be watched below:
Following this scene's release, fans shared their dissapointed thoughts on what was removed from Thor 4, largely wishing that it hadn't been cut from the film.
Twitter user @Lorenzo74209291 called it "a shame" that the scene was cut, also praising the fact that Zeus spoke Italian in the dialogue:
"1. This scene is quite cute and it's a shame that it didn't end up in the final cut, but I hope to see it adapted in the future
2. Zeus who speaks Italian, despite the fact that in Rome they spoke with Latin, is a wonderful thing"
YouTube user Tram Dang also noted how the scene should have stayed in the film, saying that Mjolnir trying to get to Jane through the window was "kind of funny:"
"Idk why but this should’ve been kept in the movie. Mjolnir banging on the window to be let in was kind of funny."
User cvf proclaimed that this moment was better than the scene that actually made into the final cut of Thor 4:
"This is so much better than the one that happened in the original cut"
Sean Gonzalez loved how this scene balanced "comedic moments with something emotionally hard-hitting," praising how subtle the moment with Mjolnir was as Jane fought off death.
"it’s more that this scene balences comedic moments with something emotionally hard-hitting. seeing Jane dying with the hammer banging on the windows to be let in is funny, but also sad. same with the tone of Zeus when he’s talking to Thor. He isn’t joking, he’s genuinely taking time to mentor and teach Thor. it feels like the MCU of old as opposed to their newer stance. there’s just something here that hits harder emotionally, something to convey the seriousness of the situation."
King Shabazz saw the explanation for the Asgardian children getting powers from this scene, comparing the yellow glow of Zeus' powers to the blue hue from Thor's:
"This scene clearly explains how Thor gave the Asgardian kids powers from the Thundebolt. I dont know why so many people thought Thor was giving the kids HIS power, when its clear the energy they possessed was yellow, not bluish like Thors."
Comic Book Fan wanted this scene to stay in the movie, celebrating how Zeus actually turned out to be "the 'wisest' god"
"Really should’ve kept this scene. The 'wisest' god turned out to be the most comedic god."
Thor 4 Fans Disappointed with Removed Moment
The discourse behind movie runtimes in the MCU has become quite prominent online, especially with the last two Marvel Studios outings sitting around just two hours. And this scene in particular brings a moment that would have actually added another layer of depth to the MCU's most controversial movie of Phase 4, especially considering its already shortened runtime.
Of course, the question now turns to what the rest of the movie would have looked like if this scene were included instead of Thor attacking Zeus more violently in Omnipotent City. This could have ended with Hercules not plotting his revenge on the God of Thunder since Zeus and Thor had come to an agreement of some kind, potentially altering the course of the story and that relationship.
Whether Zeus is redeemed in future stories is still a mystery, but fans are hoping Marvel looks at these reactions and takes them into consideration when looking at future runtimes. While that wasn't the only reason Thor 4 didn't land with fans, it certainly didn't help make the end result better.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now streaming on Disney+.
