Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for A Minecraft Movie!

With the film already taking a unique approach to adapting its iconic source material, Jared Hess is sharing an explanation behind A Minecraft Movie‘s surprise game character cameo. Based on Mojang’s sandbox game, the movie revolves around a group of people who find themselves drawn into the cubic Overworld and set off on a quest with fellow human Steve to acquire powered relics and defeat the piglin ruler of the Nether before they destroy everything. A Minecraft Movie‘s cast is a stacked ensemble including Jack Black as Steve, Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen.

In honor of the movie’s release, IGN interviewed Hess and producer Torfi Frans Ólafsson for a spoiler-filled A Minecraft Movie discussion. The duo discussed the movie’s post-credits scenes, the first of which reveals Jennifer Coolidge’s Marlene to be dating the Overworld villager Nitwit, and them telling her ex-husband that they’re going to get married, all of which Hess says was in his original draft of the script, particularly since it meant getting to reunite with the Emmy winner for the first time since Gentlemen Broncos:

Being able to work with her again in Minecraft, it was just a dream come true. She’s in one of the funniest scenes in the whole movie with Jason Momoa, but also just having hit rock bottom in her love life, and then having this nitwit come into her world and be a great listener, and something that she’s never experienced. Just being able to find love between different dimensions, different types of people, I think is pretty fun and hilarious. Yeah, we knew from the get-go, like, “Okay, if we get Jennifer, she’s got to fall in love with a nitwit and see where it goes.”

Ólafsson also went on to explain that Nitwit, voiced by What We Do in the Shadows alum Matt Berry, was meant to be an Easter egg for longtime Minecraft fans, denoting the general villagers’ importance in the games, particularly since the cartographer “can sell you some good mods“, while also pointing out Nitwit’s specific history in the source material:

You have the fletcher who makes arrows, or you have the cleric, or the cartographer. They come into the world without jobs as children, and then they find a job site, and they get a job. There is one villager who’s born different. The robes are different, and that is the nitwit. This has been in Minecraft since forever.

The duo then got to discussing the real surprise of A Minecraft Movie‘s post-credits, in which Steve meets the new owner of his childhood home, a red-haired woman named Alex, whose face is left off-camera. As to who voiced the game character in the film, the duo are keeping it a secret, joking “We’re just full of mysteries“, though Hess did tease that she will be important in laying the groundwork for a follow-up. Check out what Hess said below:

Full of mysteries, but definitely excited. That character, that’s a whole other fun chapter we’d be excited about.

What Hess & Ólafsson’s Comments Mean For A Minecraft Movie’s Post-Credits

Alex May Have Already Been Cast

While Steve is inarguably the most popular humanoid character in the game, he’s not the only human to exist in the world of Minecraft. Alex is the female counterpart to Steve in the game, having been introduced in 2014 with the intent to not only offer a variety for players, but also better gender equality. This has since expanded to seven other skins in Minecraft, including Noor, Sunny, Ari, Zuri, Makena, Kai and Efe, while Steven and Alex themselves have also been given slight model tweaks throughout the years.

Much like Steve, Alex’s origins and personality are generally left unwritten in order for players to build them to their own sensibilities. However, with A Minecraft Movie actually establishing something of a backstory for Steve in order to better fit a movie narrative, it seems likely that Hess and his creative team will similarly do so with Alex if a sequel were to move forward. Additionally, considering she lives in Steve’s childhood home, there may end up being a deeper backstory built for the two to make for a meaningful relationship or friendship in the sequel.

As for the mystery of Alex’s voice actor, the chances seem split down the middle as to whether they properly cast the character with a sequel in mind, or have a placeholder actor before casting someone new in the follow-up. Many franchises have taken similar approaches in the past, most notably that of Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Damion Poitier being swapped out after his cameo in The Avengers for Josh Brolin throughout the rest of his tenure in the franchise. Given A Minecraft Movie 2 hasn’t been confirmed yet, a placeholder actor seems the most likely.

Our Take On A Minecraft Movie’s Post-Credits Cameo

An Exciting Future For The Franchise

While a sequel may still not be guaranteed for the film, A Minecraft Movie is off to a very strong start at the box office in spite of its lackluster reviews. Considering Alex has never gotten the love she deserves, I do hope that a follow-up not only gives her a good arc, but they also cast someone with great comedic abilities to play off of Black. Additionally, since Alex does have a few different skills than Steve, I think it would be fun to see her introduce him to new things in the Overworld he didn’t know about.

Source: IGN