Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) is back in Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth film in the Thor series and one of the most highly-anticipated Marvel movies in the MCU's Phase 4. Like Thor: Ragnarok, the movie is written and directed by Taika Waititi, and joining Hemsworth are a number of familiar faces from previous movies, including Korg, Valkyrie, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie is also bringing some big-name actors into the MCU, with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe making their franchise debut in the movie. But the biggest and most exciting thing about the film is the surprising reappearance of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who is brought back as the new Mighty Thor.
The plot of Thor: Love and Thunder is at least partly based on the Mighty Thor comic series written by Jason Aaron. In this particular version of the story, Thor’s former love interest Foster ends up becoming a superhero after the sacred hammer Mjolnir deems Thor unworthy. However, Foster’s newfound powers are not without consequences.
Based on the film’s trailer, we see Thor going through an identity crisis. Putting aside his weapons and powers, he’s trying to figure out his real purpose in life - a purpose filled with peace. However, his journey of self-discovery is disturbed by a merciless galactic killer who goes by the name Gorr the God Butcher. From the sound of his name alone, it doesn’t sound like he’s too happy with the existence of gods. It’s up to Thor and his team to face Gorr’s ruthless vengeance and save the cosmos.
Jumpstart your memory by checking out the cast and character guide for Thor: Love and Thunder before you head to the theaters to watch this wild new movie, set to premiere on July 8, 2022.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor, one of the notable members of the Avengers and the former king of Asgard. Thor hasn’t had it easy the past couple of years - he had witnessed his beloved ones gone with a snap of Thanos’ fingers in Avengers: Infinity War, fell into a deep depression and completely lost himself in the grief, pulled himself together, and then saved the entire universe in Avengers: Endgame. All in a day’s work for a superhero slash Norse god. Once all this chaos finally died down, Thor made a drastic career change and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy to go forth on a new journey. And now, it looks like Thor is going through a painful “midlife” crisis.
No longer chasing after hungry villains, Thor is taking this time to perform some deep introspection and figure out his new purpose in life. The trailer reveals his weight-loss training montage and shows him wearing a fresh new outfit, symbolizing his eagerness to start a brand-new page as he parts ways with his Guardians of the Galaxy counterparts. But just like any classic Marvel movie, a new bad guy appears and trouble eventually ensues, forcing Thor to put a halt on his path to inner peace and return to his superhero responsibilities - but not without a couple of shocking twists.
Besides playing the titular role of Thor in the MCU, Hemsworth has gone out to venture into different franchises like Men in Black: International and Ghostbusters. His latest movie before Love and Thunder was the psychological thriller Spiderhead, streaming now on Netflix.
Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher
Christian Bale plays Gorr the God Butcher, a murderous killer who hungers for the extinction of gods and carries a “strange and terrifying” sword. While his true motives still remain a mystery in the trailer, it’s pretty obvious that he has a huge appetite for vengeance and mass destruction.
In the comics, Gorr first appears in Jason Aaron and Esad Ribić’s 2015 comic Thor: God of Thunder #2. His complicated story takes us back to more than three thousand years ago when Gorr barely survives on a deathly planet. The people of his planet constantly pray for the Gods’ help to ease their suffering. But when Gorr’s wife, children, and mother died, he questions his faith and lashes out at the Gods that were supposed to help them. Eventually, he finds his weapon and goes on to exact revenge on these Gods.
A villain wouldn’t be complete without his signature weapon. Gorr carries a mighty blade called All-Black the Necrosword (which, coincidentally, is actually a symbiote like Venom). The Necrosword grants the user superhuman abilities like immortality and flight, but what’s really dangerous is that Gorr can use his mind to conjure up weapons and armor. It’s also worth noting that the sword allows the villain to summon up all-powerful guards, aptly called the Black Berserkers. Gorr uses this weapon to murder his first God and continues to utilize it to wreak havoc across the galaxies for thousands of years.
As Thor strives to give up a life of superhero fighting, his road to peace is snagged by Gorr’s god-killing rampage. However, Gorr isn’t a one-dimensional antagonist. As Watiti describes Gorr, the galactic killer is very formidable and layered. If his origin story in the movie is taken straight from the source comics, audiences may understand where Gorr’s motives are coming from (still wouldn’t advise on killing Nordic Gods though).
In December 2020, Bale was officially cast as Gorr the God Butcher, bringing in his star quality to Thor: Love and Thunder. Well-known for his method acting techniques, Bale is a four-time Academy Award nominee who took on the roles of serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and none other than Batman himself in the Dark Knight trilogy. He brings a “serious” flavor to acting, and fans are interested to see how this will contrast with Hemsworth’s light-hearted comedy.
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster / Mighty Thor
Natalie Portman makes a long-awaited return as Jane Foster / Mighty Thor. Foster is Thor’s (now ex) girlfriend and has become a familiar face in the MCU movies, starring in previous installments of the series like Thor and Thor: The Dark World, with her last appearance in the MCU film universe having been nearly a decade ago. While she did not star in Thor: Ragnarok, her break-up with Thor was briefly referenced. Foster finally returns to the big screen - only this time, she’s no longer the budding astrophysicist we’ve all come to love in earlier movies. Instead, she’s making a surprise appearance as the superhero the Mighty Thor, with a costume and powers that bear a huge resemblance to Thor’s. And instead of carrying bulky science equipment in the middle of the desert, Foster now wields a reconstructed version of Thor’s sacred hammer, Mjolnir.
Fans have been speculating that Thor: Love and Thunder will also reveal Foster’s battle with cancer, following the plot in the comics. Her struggle with cancer plays a central role in her character development, especially in her transformation into a superhero. As she wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor, Jane eradicates the chemotherapy from her system and restores her body to health. Unfortunately, this does not completely purge the cancer out of her body, and she remains sick no matter what. This creates a dilemma for Foster, as she balances between her “human form” and her “godly form”.
While no news of this exact story plot is confirmed yet, it would be interesting to see how the witty Waititi is able to tackle such a sensitive topic. But just by watching the trailer, it seems Foster isn’t playing the damsel in distress and is being her powerful, confident self. Viewers can expect Portman’s unique fighting style, which is mainly inspired by her childhood ballet training (and of course, her time in the Oscar-winning work Black Swan). Compared to the rest of their Avengers’ counterparts, who are well-known for their highly choreographed fight scenes, Portman brings in a breath of fresh air with her dance-like moves. With previous experiences in Léon: The Professional and the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, audiences are surely in for a treat.
Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
Tessa Thompson is set to reprise the role of Valkyrie, one of the last surviving members of the Asgardian warriors. Fans would remember her from her first appearance in Thor: Ragnarok, where she joins Thor to escape the planet of Sakaar and helps fellow Asgardians escape the wrath of Hela. Following the aftermath of Avengers: Infinity War, Valkyrie takes on a bigger role as the new king of Asgard, where she becomes a de facto leader after Thor fell into a depressive state after the Avengers’ defeat against Thanos. Part of her responsibility was to relocate the remaining Asgardians to New Asgard in Norway.
In this movie, Valkyrie adjusts to her new role as king of New Asgard. From warrior to king, she is expected to work her way through the bureaucratic aspects of ruling, building the kingdom’s infrastructure, seeing that the economy runs smoothly, and playing host to delegates from other nations. In short, Valkyrie isn’t on the battlefield as much as she used to, which ultimately causes more problems when trying to rule her people - especially when she’s trying to build a new home for a group of intergalactic individuals on planet Earth in a sovereign state. But Valkyrie being Valkyrie, it probably won't take long until she reaches for her weapons and engages in the battlefield. After all, Thor needs all the support he can get when facing the vengeful Gorr the God Butcher.
Russell Crowe as Zeus
Lightning strikes in Asgard as Russell Crowe makes his debut as Zeus, the King of the Olympians. His debut was initially a theory, with the first teaser trailer only showing his back and his face hidden. But now fans can put aside their speculations, as the trailer officially confirms Zeus’ appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Zeus is the first Olympian to join the MCU, but he has long existed in the comics. As the King of Olympians, he serves as a father figure to his citizens, making sure they are well protected. Just like in Greek mythology, Zeus has full control of the heavens and the weather - just very godly things in general. But he’s most iconic for his ability to shoot thunderbolts as weapons. The question is, will he be using them to fight against Gorr the God Butcher? We’ll just have to wait to find out.
Crowe is one of Waititi’s long-time friends and is well-known for his internationally-acclaimed performance in the epic historical film Gladiator as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius. The Academy Award winner has also gone to star in the musical drama Les Misérables and the superhero movie Man of Steel.
Jaimie Alexander as Sif
Jaimie Alexander is also set to make her return as Sif, Thor’s childhood friend and Asgardian warrior based on the Norse deity of the same name. Like Portman, Sif previously appeared in the first two Thor movies, with brief appearances in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Loki, and What If…?. The character was supposed to star in Thor: Ragnarok as well, but due to scheduling conflicts (Alexander was in New York working on Blindspot), that wasn’t possible. She is most remembered for her helping the God of Thunder return to Asgard after he was banished to Earth in the first installment of Thor. But what cemented her in the MCU is when she stuck a blade to Loki’s neck in Thor: The Dark World, threatening to kill him if he ever betrays Thor.
A huge portion of Sif’s screen time involves her beating up her enemies in combat and saving Thor’s life. Other times, she would go out of her way to give him some advice, from one pal to another. As Thor’s trusted ally and having impressive combat skills to boot, we can expect Lady Sif to join forces with the team once again as they go head-to-head with the villain. Besides her work in the MCU, Alexander is well known for her role as Jessi on the TV series Kyle XY. She also starred in Blindspot from 2015 until 2020.
Taika Waititi as Korg
Recognize the voice in the trailer? Yup, that’s director Taika Waititi taking on the role of Korg. The creature, a big gnarly guy made out of rocks, was first introduced in Thor: Ragnarok as a sort of comedic relief in the movie. He was one of the many gladiators who were forced to engage in battle on the planet of Sakaar and is expected to play a supporting role in Thor: Love and Thunder.
That said, you might not recognize Korg in this installment of the Thor series. Sporting an updated costume, which consists of a large belt buckle and a goat head insignia, animal-pelted shoulder pads, and newfound features, Korg looks very different from his previous appearances. Besides directing MCU movies, Waititi has made headlines for his work on the critically-acclaimed Jojo Rabbit and the obnoxiously funny vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows.
Other Cast Members
Thor: Love and Thunder will feature numerous supporting roles, including the Guardians of the Galaxy. Actors Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper will make a return as their respective MCU characters Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Mantis, Drax the Destroyer, Nebula, Groot, and Rocket. Additionally, Sean Gunn will be reprising his role as Kraglin Obfonteri, former right-hand man to Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker).
In the original scheme of things, Marvel was supposed to release Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before Thor: Love and Thunder, which was expected to follow the gang’s journey with Thor officially on their team. However, plans were readjusted as director James Gunn had scheduling conflicts from filming The Suicide Squad. But in this case, the Guardians of the Galaxy are expected to end up playing a small role in the movie to fill Thor’s emotional void from losing many of his allies.
Another big surprise is the appearance of Akosia Sabet as Bast, the goddess worshiped by Wakandans in Black Panther. In the trailer, we see Valkyrie and the Mighty Thor sitting together, but it just so happens that Bast is sitting below the two Asgardians. Considering that New Asgard will expect the arrival of Greek gods like Zeus, it shouldn’t come as a huge shock that Egyptian/Wakandan gods like Bast would pay a visit as well.
Jeff Goldblum was also expected to reprise his role as the eccentric Grandmaster once again but it appears his scene from the movie has since been cut. Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth are also set to return as the Asgardian actors who played Loki, Odin, and Thor respectively in a play in Thor: Ragnarok. Joining them is comedian Melissa McCarthy, who will be starring as an Asgardian actress who is playing Hela. Ben Falcone, Jenny Morris, and Simon Russell Beale are also credited for the movie with undisclosed roles.