Is Jeff Goldblum making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thor: Love and Thunder? There is at least some evidence to support the idea that Grandmaster, who Goldblum played previously in Thor: Ragnarok, will indeed be suiting back up for the upcoming sequel. Though, to be clear, this is far from confirmed at this point and the presentation of this evidence should not be taken as confirmation.
Thor: Love and Thunder has been filming in Australia. Taika Waititi, who directed Ragnarok, is returning to the helm. Chris Hemsworth will also be returning, once again, as the God of Thunder. As it just so happens, Jeff Goldblum was spotted with both Waititi and Hemsworth at a rugby match recently. A photo of the three watching the game together began making the rounds online. This has led to speculation that Grandmaster will be showing up in the movie. While that certainly could be the case, let’s not get too excited just yet.
For one, until Marvel Studios, or someone directly connected to the production, says Jeff Goldblum is back, it’s not concrete. It would be different if we saw Goldblum in a set photo in costume or something along those lines. That would be a bit more definitive. But it’s entirely possible that Goldblum is in Australia for another reason and decided to pay his friends a visit. For what it’s worth, in 2019, Goldblum said that he was interested in returning and that they had talked about it. “I love Taika Waititi, he’s a great director and a friend of mine, so I hope so,” he said at the time.
Grandmaster traces his Marvel Comics origins back to The Avengers #69, released in 1969. The character, created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema, is one of the Elders of the Universe. He has an obsession with games of chance, which was on full display in Ragnarok. Grandmaster had taken over as ruler of the planet Sakaar. To pass the time, he had beings compete in fights to the death. When last we saw Grandmaster, Sakaar had been overthrown. Jeff Goldblum appeared in a post-credits scene, revealing that he survived but had certainly lost his control over the planet. That left the door wide open for his eventual return in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The only question was when and where he would reappear.
The upcoming sequel will see the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who will be taking up the mantle of Thor this time around. Tessa Thompson is also returning as Valkyrie. As for the villain, The Dark Knight star and Oscar-winner Christian Bale has been cast as Gorr the God Butcher. Taika Waititi wrote the screenplay alongside Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great). Thor: Love and Thunder is currently set to hit theaters on May 6, 2022. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. You can check out the photo in question for yourself from the Wide World of Sports Twitter account.