Two of the Thor: Love and Thunder deleted scenes reveal Marvel's initial plans for Zeus, spoiling his future in MCU Phase 5. Audiences last saw Zeus in the Thor 4 post-credits scene. Apart from the twist that Zeus survived Thor throwing Thunderbolt – Zeus' own weapon – through his chest, the post-credits also showed Zeus telling his son Hercules to kill Thor. It would seem that the MCU is setting up Zeus to be a major villain down the line. However, the deleted scenes show a very different King of the Gods.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
In one deleted scene, Thor discovers Zeus hiding behind a curtain and eating ice cream in Jane's hospital room, hilariously undercutting an emotional moment between Jane and Thor. Zeus then tells Thor to come with him because Zeus has something he might need. The next deleted scene shows Zeus revealing to Thor that Thunderbolt is just a representation of their godly powers. Zeus then teaches Thor how to turn anything into Thunderbolt, and Thor even pulls his own Thunderbolt from thin air.
These Thor: Love and Thunder deleted scenes reveal not only how Zeus' powers work, but also how he wasn't initially supposed to be a villain in the MCU. This moment between Thor and Zeus even has the same warmth as the conversations that Thor and his father Odin have shared in the past. More importantly, it reveals that Zeus actually taught Thor how to summon Thunderbolt himself, making Zeus crucial to Thor Odinson and Mighty Thor's victory over Gorr the God Butcher. It's unclear why these scenes were deleted. However, they were likely scrapped in favor of first establishing Zeus as a villain, which is the perfect set-up for a later Loki-like turnaround for Zeus when things get uglier in MCU Phase 5.
Will Zeus Be A Hero Or A Villain In The MCU?
While the deleted scenes could have been removed because Marvel decided to keep Zeus as a villain, the fact that Secret Invasion is coming in MCU Phase 5 suggests that Zeus' hero twist will be happening soon. In Marvel Comics' "Secret Invasion," even the combined divine pantheons of Earth had to take a stand and face the Skrull Empire's enslaved army of alien gods. This superteam of gods even had a badass name: God Squad. Combined with the deleted scenes revealing how Zeus was supposed to help Thor, Zeus could be the best candidate to lead the God Squad against the Skrulls in Secret Invasion, and possibly even against the even larger threat of Kang: The Conqueror.
While the Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene shows Zeus commanding Hercules to kill Thor, even Hercules might not be the villain he is initially implied to be. Hercules and Thor have a long and ultimately friendly rivalry in the comics, which actually fits very well within Thor's quirky corner of the MCU. After the Thors had to deal with Gorr on their own, the gods of the MCU – lead by Zeus – could be convinced to assist Earth's Mightiest Heroes the next time another threat to the universe rears its ugly head.