After successfully revitalizing the dying Thor solo franchise with Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi has returned to Marvel’s soundstages to helm a highly anticipated follow-up, Valkyrie searches for a queen to help her rule New Asgard, Love and Thunder is poised to be a quirky rom-com wrapped in a big-budget superhero adventure.
While Waititi signed on to direct Ragnarok when its script was late into development, he’s written Love and Thunder from scratch in collaboration with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, so it could exhibit even more of his unique sensibility than his last Thor movie.
It Might Be Chris Hemsworth’s Final Movie As Thor
The original six Avengers are dropping from the MCU like flies. Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Natasha Romanoff all concluded their arcs in Avengers: Endgame, Clint Barton is about to on the Hawkeye mantle to Kate Bishop, and She-Hulk is getting her own Disney+ series.
In Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor will on the mantle of God of Thunder to his ex-flame Jane Foster, who will become the “Mighty Thor.” In keeping with Phase Four’s overall ing-the-torch theme, this might be Chris Hemsworth’s final movie in the role of Thor. (Hopefully not, though.)
Jane Foster Takes On Thor’s Mantle
Whether Chris Hemsworth is leaving the MCU after Thor: Love and Thunder or not, he definitely won’t be the God of Thunder by the end of it, because he’s giving that responsibility to Jane Foster. In the next Avengers movie, Jane will be fighting alongside Sam Wilson and Captain Marvel as the new Thor.
Jane was massively underserved in her early MCU appearances, which is why Portman refused to return for Ragnarok, but Love and Thunder is set to finally fix that.
Valkyrie’s Search For A Queen
Although LGBTQ+ heroes will be introduced in projects like Eternals before Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters, the movie is set to retroactively make Valkyrie the MCU’s first LGBTQ+ superhero.
There was originally a scene in Ragnarok in which a woman was seen leaving Valkyrie’s bedroom, confirming her bisexuality, but it was cut due to studio interference (it was apparently for “pacing” reasons, but a one-second Easter egg can hardly throw a two-hour movie off-kilter). Love and Thunder is set to rectify that. Not only will Love and Thunder confirm Valkyrie’s bisexuality; it’ll revolve around her search for a queen.
Zeus Could Introduce The Olympians To The MCU
Russell Crowe has confirmed that the character he’ll be playing in Thor: Love and Thunder is Zeus, the king of the Olympians. Crowe’s role is also confirmed to be a cameo appearance, but it could introduce the Olympians into the MCU.
In the Marvel universe, the Olympian gods from Greek mythology are real and they live in a little pocket-dimension off of Earth. This could even lead to an Olympians vs. Asgardians movie.
Giving Lady Sif A Larger Role
After being given a promising introduction in the first Thor movie and being ridiculously sidelined in The Dark World (not to mention being absent from Ragnarok entirely), Jaimie Alexander’s Lady Sif is finally getting the substantial role she deserves in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Sif is one of Thor’s closest childhood friends. She could become Valkyrie’s new queen or the movie might set her up for her own spin-off movie or Disney+ series.
Jane Has Cancer
In the comics, Jane becomes the Mighty Thor while going through cancer treatments, and Love and Thunder is reportedly staying faithful to this storyline, despite the overtly comedic tone of Waititi’s Marvel efforts.
In the context of the MCU, after Jane was briefly imbued with the Reality Stone in The Dark World, the cancer might be linked to Infinity Stone exposure.
Establishing New Asgard’s Place In The World
The Earth of the MCU is quickly being rounded out as its own thing. Not only is the whole world reeling from a five-year universe-wide genocide; it’s also filled with fictional countries like Wakanda and Sokovia and Madripoor, and now, New Asgard, situated somewhere in Norway.
After Endgame introduced audiences to New Asgard, Love and Thunder can establish its place in the wider world of the MCU and its relationships with other nations.
It’s The MCU’s First Full-Blown Romance Movie
There’s always a romantic subplot in the MCU’s movies — no matter how mundane, like Doctor Strange’s love story, or ionless, like Thor: The Dark World’s love story — but Thor: Love and Thunder is the MCU’s first movie that’s primarily a romance.
WandaVision put Wanda and Vision’s relationship at the forefront in a limited streaming series, but Love and Thunder will bring superhuman romance to the big screen.
Setting Up The Guardians Of The Galaxy For More Crossovers
Ever since their introduction back in 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy have ranked among the most popular characters in the MCU. Ahead of their solo threequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the Guardians are set to appear in ing roles in Thor: Love and Thunder.
It would be fun to see the Guardians pop up in more MCU movies. Love and Thunder can set up their next crossover like Endgame did.
Gorr The God Butcher Could Kill Thor
Christian Bale has been cast to play the villainous Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder. In the comics, Gorr is disillusioned with the gods ignoring the plight of his people, which gets him cast out from the very society he seeks to help because everyone around him still blindly worships the gods.
He’ll make a terrific villain for a story about a god training a mortal to become a god. In the comics, Gorr was killed by two Thors using the might of two Mjolnirs. In the movie, he might successfully kill Thor and bring Chris Hemsworth’s MCU stint to a heartbreaking conclusion.
