Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Thor: Love and Thunder!
There are well over a dozen returning Marvel Cinematic Universe characters in Thor: Love and Thunder. The sixth Phase 4 movie features the return of Chris Hemsworth as Thor after the events of Avengers: Endgame. It makes him the first MCU character to have four solo movies, although the film is arguably the second installment in a rebooted franchise. This is because director Taika Waititi helped change the trajectory of Thor's MCU future in Thor: Ragnarok.
With a previous trilogy and the rest of the MCU movies to pull from, there was always the likelihood that Thor: Love and Thunder's cast would be filled to the brim with characters. Avengers: Endgame left Thor's story with the Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a decision itself that meant the addition of seven returning MCU characters. Those who really follow the movie's development and pre-release press know that there was even a plan for much more, as it was confirmed cameos from Thor: Ragnarok's Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) and Avengers: Infinity War's Eitri (Peter Dinklage) were cut from Thor: Love and Thunder.
The movie introduces audiences to a plethora of new MCU characters, ranging from Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) to Zeus (Russell Crowe), as well as Thor: Love and Thunder's Hercules (Brett Goldstein) in the post-credits. Throughout the epic battle that Thor and Gorr engage in, though, there are several familiar faces that appear. Their significance ranges from Natalie Portman's Jane Foster becoming Mighty Thor to quick cameos from franchise veterans. All in all, here is every returning MCU character in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Thor
It would not be a Thor movie in the MCU without Chris Hemsworth's Thor Odinson. Thor: Love and Thunder is Hemsworth's eighth appearance as the God of Thunder in the franchise overall, but it is the first role for him post-Avengers: Endgame. He put in the work to change the Fat Thor look amid his search to find his place in the universe, which ultimately includes defending it from Gorr the God Butcher's wrath.
Jane Foster a.k.a. Mighty Thor
The biggest of Thor: Love and Thunder's returning MCU characters is Jane Foster. Natalie Portman makes her first appearance in an MCU production in nearly a decade, as she last played Jane Foster in 2013's Thor: The Dark World. Marvel later repurposed footage from the sequel to include her in Avengers: Endgame. Now, Portman transforms into Mighty Thor in what is technically her fourth appearance overall, as Jane battles cancer and a god-slaying villain.
Valkyrie
Tessa Thompson returns as Valkyrie in Thor: Love and Thunder as well. Following her MCU debut in Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie's last appearance came in Avengers: Endgame where she fought Thanos' army and was named King of New Asgard. Valkyrie's role in Thor: Love and Thunder revolves around her own search for happiness and desire to get back on the battlefield.
Korg
Korg is also back in Thor: Love and Thunder, as Taika Waititi once again plays the CGI-rock creature. The Kronan debuted in Thor: Ragnarok and made a small appearance in Avengers: Endgame. Waititi gives himself a much bigger role in Thor: Love and Thunder, as Korg is the final member of the heroic quartet that includes Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie.
Miek
Miek is another one of Thor: Love and Thunder's returning MCU characters. The Sakaaran warrior from Thor: Ragnarok features a very different look in their third MCU appearance overall. Miek traded in a penchant for fighting in order to serve Valkyrie in New Asgard, which includes everything from cutting ribbons to taking notes.
Lady Sif
Jaimie Alexander returns to the MCU as Lady Sif in Thor: Love and Thunder too. Following appearances in the first two films in the franchise, she was left out of Thor: Ragnarok. Sif's return in Thor: Love and Thunder shows that she is still fighting across the galaxy and was pursuing Gorr the God Butcher. This is Jaimie Alexander's sixth Marvel-related appearance as Lady Sif overall. She previously played the Asgardian warrior in two episodes of Agents of SHIELD, but she most recently returned for Loki season 1.
Star-Lord
With the Guardians of the Galaxy returning in Thor: Love and Thunder, Chris Pratt is back as Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord. It is Star-Lord's fifth MCU appearance overall following leading roles in the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies and ing roles in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The MCU's bromance/rivalry between Thor and Star-Lord began in the last two movies, and it carries into Thor: Love and Thunder.
Rocket
Thor's latest best friend Rocket Raccoon returns to the MCU in Thor: Love and Thunder too. Bradley Cooper voices the weapons-loving "trash panda" for the fifth time with this appearance. Rocket does not have a major role to play in Thor: Love and Thunder despite how close he and Thor became during Avengers: Endgame.
Drax
Dave Bautista's Drax the Destroyer is another one of Thor: Love and Thunder's returning MCU characters. Drax's role is very small, as he barely has any dialogue, but does get involved in some action. As the fifth appearance by Dave Bautista in the MCU, this could be one of the last times he plays the character, as it has been heavily teased that Guardians Vol. 3 is Drax's final MCU movie.
Groot
Vin Diesel's Groot is also back in Thor: Love and Thunder. Groot is still in his adolescent form that debuted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's post-credits scenes and continued into the next two Avengers movies. Even though Groot does not have a major role in Thor: Love and Thunder, his contribution to creating Stormbreaker continues to pay dividends for Thor's MCU story.
