The Gods of Valhalla have heard the prayers of Marvel fans everywhere, and the intergalactic adventures of Chris Hemsworth's Thor Odinson will continue in his fourth solo film, Thor: Love and Thunder.
When we last saw the self-proclaimed "Strongest Avenger" in Avengers: Endgame, he had been through quite a lot over the previous few years. In 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, he lost his father, defeated his evil sister Hela, and saw the kingdom of Asgard fall into ruin. In 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos successfully defeated the Avengers and decimated half of the world’s population.
And in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, following a five-year period of depression and semi-isolation in New Asgard, Thor was convinced to join the remaining Avengers and travel back in time to defeat Thanos. After a victorious battle that resulted in the death of his close friends, Thor decides that he'd had enough of the violence and bloodshed.
In the final moments of the film, Thor decides that he will enter his live, laugh, love and thunder era as he flies off with the Guardians of the Galaxy to travel across space on a mission to find his true purpose in life. So, where exactly does that leave Thor in the upcoming film? Here is everything to know about the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder.
What is this movie about?
While much remains to be revealed in the movie, here is the official synopsis from Marvel:
The film finds Thor on a journey, unlike anything he’s ever faced — a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who — to Thor's surprise — inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
Which MCU characters are in this? And what new characters will be introduced?
Back to play the God of Thunder once again is Chris Hemsworth as Thor, along with his Ragnarok crewmate Tessa Thompson, who will be reprising her role as the strong-willed and newly anointed King Valkyrie. Taika Waititi is also back as the sentient rock formation and rebellion enthusiast known as Korg.
Considering where the events of Endgame left off, the Guardians of the Galaxy will also appear here: Chris Pratt as Star Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula and Pom Klementieff as Mantis, along with Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel), of course.
Thor: Love and Thunder also marks the return of Oscar winner Natalie Portman. After a nine-year MCU hiatus following The Dark World, Portman reprises her role as Jane Foster, who now possesses the power to wield Thor's hammer Mjolnir.
As far as new characters go, Oscar-winning actors Russell Crowe and Christian Bale join the fray as the almighty Zeus, who reigns supreme over the MCU's Olympus, and the villainous Gorr the God Butcher, respectively.
Who's behind the scenes of
Waititi is the director and co-writer, penning the script with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Something Great). President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum served as producers.
Oscar-nominated editor Maryann Brandon (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), two-time Oscar-nominated production designer Ra Vincent (Jojo Rabbit), and Oscar-nominated costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo (Jojo Rabbit) all brought their talents to the production, with cinematography by The Mandalorian's Barry Baz Idoine.
The score was composed by Michael Giacchino, who won an Oscar for his Up score. Giacchino, whose score for The Batman was in theaters this spring, will have three scores in theaters this summer with Jurassic World Dominion, Lightyear and Thor: Love and Thunder.
When and where will we be able to watch it?
Marvel Studios will release Thor: Love and Thunder in theaters on July 8.
Is there a trailer?
You bet there is — and you can watch it below! The official trailer was released on May 23 and is full of 80s references, romantic intrigue, and one helluva soundtrack, with this clip featuring Guns N' Roses' epic, "Sweet Child O' Mine."
What should I watch before
This movie marks the 28th film in the MCU, so no one can blame you if you need a little bit of a Marvel TL;DR version of events before jumping into this one. We'd recommend watching — or revisiting — Thor, Thor: Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: End Game before jumping into Love and Thunder.
By Destiny Jackson
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