Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended masterfully, with Avengers: Endgame encapsulating every installment in the massive franchise, and Spider-Man: Far From Home revealing how Earth recovered from Thanos’ assault on the galaxy. Fans are eager to see Phase Four kick up, especially after the myriad exciting announcements that came with San Diego Comic-Con and D23 Expo. One of these includes Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder, which will mark the first time a Marvel hero got a fourth solo movie.
Love and Thunder has quickly become one of the most highly anticipated installments coming in Phase Four, after Thor: Ragnarok and Taika Waititi breathed new life into the franchise. The upcoming sequel will also bring Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster back into the franchise, and will see her become Mighty Thor. But does that mean Chris Hemsworth’s character will be stripped of his abilities as the God of Thunder? Waititi recently offered a clarification on this matter, saying:
Well, that’s one way to clear up rumors. Because despite Jane’s transformation as the Mighty Thor, the OG Avenger will still be the primary protagonist, and maintain his powers in the upcoming fourth movie. Just how that’ll balance with Mighty Thor remains to be seen.
Taika Waititi’s comments to MTV News helps clear up one of the endless questions currently surrounding Thor: Love and Thunder. Since the movie was only recently announced, Marvel Studios and Taika Waititi have been keeping the upcoming movie’s contents under wraps. And since the movie isn’t expected to hit theaters until 2021, we should expect the secrets to be kept for the near future.
Narratively, it seems like Taika Waititi could go anywhere with Thor: Love and Thunder. The title character is almost unrecognizable from the hero we met in Thor, having lost his home and everything that previously defined the God of Thunder. Asgard itself was destroyed, with Thor giving the role of King Of New Asgard to Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie. All of Thor’s family also perished throughout the first three MCU phases, so he’s in the position to go anywhere in the cosmos in his fourth movie.
When we last saw Thor in Avengers: Endgame, he was struggling with a serious case of depression, and drowning his guilt and existential dread with alcohol. He was able to speak with Frigga during the Time Heist, and got a perspective that inspired him to take to the cosmos and find who he truly was.
The mystery is how exactly this will happen. Thor was last seen with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Marvel fans are eager to see them crossover in either Guardians 3 or Thor: Love and Thunder. Jane will also obviously be brought back into the narrative, so it’s unclear how much of the story will be Earth based versus space. Also, will he keep his Bro Thor appearance from Endgame?
All will be revealed when Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters November 5th. 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.