Spoiler Warning: Minor spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder follow
As MCU Phase 4 drags on, it's fair to wonder what's happening with the various characters portrayed by Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Jeff Goldblum, among others. Thor: Love and Thunder provides few answers, though, mostly because their planned cameos were ultimately cut.
Speaking in an interview with Insider, director Taika Waititi explained why the appearances didn't make it to the final release, and why they're unlikely to show up in the inevitable deleted scenes — at least if he has anything to say about it.
"I'm not going to give you a moment because this is my way of telling you, like, people say, 'I can't wait for the deleted scenes with those actors,'" Waititi said. "I don't want people to see the deleted scenes because they're deleted for a reason: They aren't good enough. [Laughs.] The scenes were not in the movie and that's it."
Expounding on the decision to cut certain scenes from Thor: Love and Thunder, Waititi said that it probably had about the "same amount" removed as his other projects. He hinted that most of the decisions were made in the name of pacing, saying that sometimes a scene can be "most funniest or intriguing thing," but that they can also make the movie "screech to a halt."
As for the reactions of Goldblum, Headey, and Dinklage to being cut, Waititi mostly shrugged.
"[I]f you ask any of those actors who were cut out — Jeff Goldblum, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage — they all understand how it works. They have been in the game long enough. But that's just the way I look at things," Waititi said.
He's also quite opposed to doing his own version of the infamous Snyder Cut, so don't expect a "Waititi Cut" of Thor: Love and Thunder anytime soon… if at all. Regardless, there's plenty to sort through in Thor 4, including the usual end credits scene and mystery character.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now available in theaters, earning $302 million over the weekend, but its overall reception has been mixed. Check out our full review right here.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.