Few MCU movies have seen more eager anticipation from the franchise's devotees than Thor: Love and Thunder, which is slated for a July 8 release. The continued saga of everyone's favorite Odinson is generating a ton of buzz what with the ensuing fallout and redemption from the God of Thunder's Phase Three escapades in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Phase Four's ongoing multiverse high jinks almost certainly will play a part as well.
The fourth entry in the Thor series is expected to tie up a number of loose storylines, and it's already known to be jam-packed with both franchise staples and new, high-profile cast alike.
Valkyrie Taking the Reins As King Of New Asgard
The reluctant Asgardian warrior was a standout performance in Thor: Ragnarok largely because of Tessa Thompson's nuanced portrayal of a haunted former elite guard finding her mojo once again. At the outset of Avengers: Endgame, Thor hands off the crown to her in New Asgard. Her story is rumored to be a central part of the film and Thompson herself teased a deeper reveal on Valkyrie's LBGTQ status, with some rumors positing a possible relationship with Jaime Alexander's Sif. Not only will it be nice to see wider cinematic representation of the aforementioned community, a powerful hero like Valkyrie taking a more prominent position across the entire MCU would be more than apropos.
Thor and Rocket's Continued Bromance
One of the runaway surprises of the dynamics between different heroes in Infinity War and Endgame was the delightful rapport established between Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon and Chris Hemsworth's Thor. In an unusual turnaround for the often cantankerous guardian, Rocket quickly established himself as a sympathetic confidante for a grieving Thor, providing audience-pleasing quips and extending subtle vulnerabilities.
The Guardians are rumored to be at least part of the film and given the ongoing rumors that James Gunn might finish Rocket's story once and for all in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, it'd be nice to see Thor and Rocket bonding at least one more time.
Gorr The God-Butcher Doing His Thing
Christian Bale ing the MCU is a spectacular addition to Marvel's A-list assembly of actors. Fanboys are foaming at the mouth to see his rendition of one of Thor's most powerful and deadly adversaries. Indeed, the book version of Gorr has killed a number of variant Thors over the years and it's likely he'll be shown as more powerful than Thor's sister Hela, having to take on the likes of Thor himself, Jane Foster's Mighty Thor, Valkyrie, and perhaps a few Guardians or even Loki. By definition Gorr is going to earn his title onscreen, possibly by doing in Russell Crowe's Zeus (a cameo role), or perhaps even Thor himself, seeing as how Natalie Portman is taking up the mantle.
Korg and Meek's B Team
Taika Waititi's fan-favorite character Korg has become an essential sidekick for Thor along with his bladed partner-in-crime Meek, each having proved their charismatic and cinematic worth in Ragnarok and Endgame. Korg's amusing, tongue-in-cheek dialogue from the soft-spoken Waititi is always a welcome distraction from the usual chaos generally surrounding the MCU events in which he's involved. Waititi has confirmed Korg's culture and original home planet will be touched on in Love and Thunder, which will be a nice footnote in the film's already bursting-at-the-seams bounty of characters and story arcs.
The Return Of Loki
Honestly, it can't be a proper Thor film without his brother Loki involved in some fashion. Though Tom Hiddleston has denied any involvement in the movie, it's best taken with a grain of salt as everyone knows most Marvel actors are sworn to secrecy with surprise appearances.
The last we saw of Loki was in his Disney Plus series when Sylvie killed Kang The Conqueror variant He Who Remains and busted the multiverse wide open. That Loki, while not exactly the Loki who Thor lost at the hands of Thanos in Infinity War, was returned to an alternate version of the TVA. It's uncertain how Waititi might factor in the events of Loki's recent trials, but fan fingers are crossed.
Jane Foster's Mighty Thor Picking Up The Hammer At Long Last
Natalie Portman's character Jane Foster is set to return, a welcome reappearance for Thor fans. While it was rumored she was unhappy with Marvel after their removal of Patti Jenkins from directing Thor: The Dark World and thus why she hadn't appeared as Foster in nearly 10 years, Waititi convinced her to come back to the role after rightfully taking a cue from the books in his script and upgrading Foster from love interest to genuine superhero status. Jane Foster assuming the mantle of The Mighty Thor and ing the general fray will look incredible onscreen, adding another high powered heroine to the expanding queue of starring women in the MCU.
The Ongoing Rivalry Between Thor And Star-Lord
There were many ensuing moments of humor early on in Infinity War before the fight against Thanos became snap-serious, most of which were unsurprisingly provided by James Gunn's eclectic crew of guardian misfits. Chief among those crowd pleasing bits was the near instant frenemy accord established between Thor and Peter Quill, wherein Quill gets fairly insecure as his crew continues to ire their newfound 'pirate-angel.' Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth's tit for tat competitiveness rolls in the same 'will they or won't they' vein as the Stark-Rogers or Lang-Van Dyne partnerships, yet their interchanges are far more hilarious. More, please.
The Reforging Of Mjolnir
Of course this has to happen, not only because Portman's Jane Foster will need to wield it to assume her Mighty Thor mantle, but also because Marvel fans were so distressed at the events of Ragnarok when Hela destroyed Mjolnir in such shocking and abrupt fashion.
Thor's hammer has been a key focal point in so many MCU seminal moments, it's almost a ing character in itself, same as Cap's shield or Strange's cloak. Recently Peter Dinklage hinted at a possible return to his Eitri character in Love and Thunder and toy merchandise seems to imply Jane using a hammer with cracks in its surface, suggesting someone went back to pick up the pieces in Norway.
Epic Cosmic Battles
It goes without saying but with such a bountiful cast of characters and after the ridiculously high watermarks set by Infinity War and Endgame, plus the likely commensurate Guardians of the Galaxy madcap adventures, and the arrival of a legendarily fearsome villain, we can safely assume Waititi will deliver some jaw dropping sequences.
The Continued Evolution Of Thor Odinson
Hemsworth is immensely popular and it's obviously Goldilocks' show, being one of only two original Avengers with their own movies in Phase 4. Most everyone will show up primarily to see the big Asgardian kahuna in action once again. Fans have followed his journey since he was a young and brash prince all the way to a broken, beer-swilling recluse. Having renounced his crown and ceding it to Valkyrie, he's now primed and posed to adopt a more swashbuckling, 'Asgardian of the Galaxy' role as he continues to protect the Nine Realms. Fans are definitely hyped to see how the seasoned Odinson is faring after leaving New Asgard.
