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Thor: Love and Thunder Guide - News, Easter Eggs, Reviews, Theories and Rumors

Thor: Love and Thunder is the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth Thor movie. Reuniting old cast members and a returning director, the movie is very much a sequel to 2017's over-the-top Thor: Ragnarok. Combining cosmic mythology with '80s cheese and whimsy, the film is definitely a spectacle that begs to be seen on the big screen.

The first MCU film in months to not deal with the concept of the Multiverse, Love and Thunder instead chooses to expand the universe's roster of gods, namely gods of thunder. Drawing from a recent comic book storyline and giving audiences two Thors for the price of one, the movie is a hotly anticipated comeback tour for the self-proclaimed strongest Avenger. Here's what fans should know before they go thundering into theaters to see it.

The Cast and Crew of Thor: Love and Thunder


Leading the charge in the film is, of course, Chris Hemsworth, who plays Norse god and Avenger Thor Odinson. Another "Thor" is played by Natalia Portman, who reprises her role as Jane Foster. Through the use of a restored Mjolnir, Jane is able to take on the powers of Thor for herself. Unfortunately for the two of them, they're threatened by the villainous Gorr the God Butcher, who's played by Christian Bale. Another new character is the Greek god Zeus himself, portrayed by Russell Crowe.

Other returning faces include Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jaimie Alexander as the Lady Sif, as well as the Kronan rock warrior Korg. Though he's created through CGI, Korg is, again, voiced by Taika Waititi, who returns to not only direct the film (as he did for Thor: Ragnarok) but also write it alongside Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The beginning of the movie also features the post-Endgame roster of the Guardians of the Galaxy, with Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and Sean Gunn playing Star-Lord, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Nebula, Mantis and Kraglin.

Matt Damon, Sam Neill and Luke Hemsworth reprise their roles as Asgardian actors of Loki, Odin and Thor, while Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgård also return to play Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig. Jeff Goldblum and Peter Dinklage were meant to reprise their roles from Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War, but their scenes were some of several that were cut from the theatrical film. Likewise, Lena Headey also had an unspecified role that was cut from the final film.

The Plot of Thor: Love and Thunder


Thor: Love and Thunder picks up several of the plot threads from Avengers: Endgame, which saw Thor as a somewhat depressed and overweight God of Thunder who had to find his place in the universe once more. Elsewhere, Gorr the God Butcher begins enacting his revenge against various so-called deities who ignored his pleas to save his daughter. Gorr's next target is the new home of the Asgardians, but Thor Odinson won't be the only god there to protect it.

Jane Foster, Thor's ex-girlfriend, has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sensing her distress, the destroyed Mjolnir reassembles itself to empower her into the Mighty Thor. Unfortunately, every use of its power drains more of Jane's mortal life, making her ensuing adventure with Thor across the cosmos their most dangerous together yet. Several characters are developed in this cosmic drama, with many reflecting on their love lives and how far they've come among the events of the past few years. What results is a battle of gods and godly weapons, with the climax being a fittingly epic conclusion to several characters' stories.

Easter Eggs and References in Thor: Love and Thunder


The central premise behind Thor: Love and Thunder is pulled directly from Jason Aaron's recent run on Thor: God of Thunder. This run introduced both Gorr the God Butcher and Jane Foster becoming the Mighty Thor. In fact, the shot of the dead creature Falligar is pulled directly from this storyline, being an almost exact recreation of the book's imagery. Thor's more mortal attire in the movie not only has a shirt with the tree Yggdrasil but also somewhat resembles the costume of Thunderstrike, who temporarily replaced Thor in the comics.

Two Celestials can be briefly seen in the movie, finally tying the events of Eternals in with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Other "cosmic" beings that show up are Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, Thor's goats from both the comics and Norse mythology. Gorr fights his enemies with his familiar Necrosword, which in the comics has ties to Knull, the god of the Symbiotes (which include Venom).

Love and Thunder: Fan Theories and Rumors


The fact that Thor wears a version of the Thunderstrike costume has had many fans curious as to whether he assumes that identity or if Eric Masterson will be hinted at for future films. Another concern among the fandom was that Jane might replace Thor as the God of Thunder, truly signaling the end of an era for the original Avengers roster. The aforementioned Necrosword raised all sorts of questions on how, if at all, it could be tied to the symbiotes, the rights to which are owned by Sony for its cinematic Spider-Man Universe. The post-credits scenes, however, do set up more gods to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The film is now playing in theaters everywhere, making it the second MCU film to premiere this year, following Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. It premiered with an impressive opening weekend box office but also received even more mixed reviews than Doctor Strange 2, namely due to its inconsistent use of comedy and brisk pace. This definitely has had an effect on the box office haul going forward, with the movie having a heavy second-weekend drop, despite no real competition.


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MARVEL Mighty Thor Movies Thor 4

How 'Thor: Love & Thunder' Perfectly Captures and Subverts Romantic Comedy Tropes


Out of all the comedic subgenres, none are arguably as iconic as the 'romantic comedy.' From classic genre staples like Billy Wilder's Roman Holiday and The Seven-Year Itch and onwards over the decades to the days of genre queens like Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, and Meg Ryan, the rom-com may have had some lulls at certain points, but its sweet and saccharine DNA has remained prevalent as ever. Case in point is the latest superhero spectacle from Marvel Studios, Thor: Love & Thunder. Taika Waititi returned to the director's chair following Thor: Ragnarok, to deliver a similarly clever but thematically different take on the self-proclaimed 'strongest Avenger.'


The romantic comedy genre is one that's full of distinct tropes. The meet-cute, the burgeoning relationship montage, the third-act breakup, love being rekindled, the crazy ex, the scene that pulls on your heartstrings. Some will look at tropes as a bad thing. It often adds an extra layer of predictability to the story, but for fans of the romantic comedy (such as this very writer), it will often bring a sense of comfort. While some may have left Thor: Love and Thunder feeling disappointed, others were satisfied, but for a completely different reason.


There's an opinion that's become popular among the online film community that many of the MCU films represent different genres. Whether one agrees with that sentiment is up to them. Guardians of the Galaxy is space opera, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a horror movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a coming-of-age tale, Ant-Man is a heist movie, you get the point. With Thor: Love and Thunder we get Marvel's take on a romantic comedy.


First and foremost, superhero films have been noticeably dodgy with their romantic subplots. For every Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, there are dozens more love stories that lack that same spark. The science-meets-magic romance of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) was initially one of those. It was flat, to be blunt. Love & Thunder notably tried to fix this, with the film being the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first true romantic comedy. Love is in the title after all. The biggest surprise of the film is that the tropes of the romantic comedy aren't just haphazardly injected into the romance of Thor and Jane, but it's in the film's DNA.


Love and Thunder often plays around with these kinds of superhero tropes, sometimes deciding to follow them to a tee, and other times it will attempt to subvert them. Fans already saw Thor and Jane have their so-called meet-cute in the 2011 film, but that initial lack of chemistry made it difficult to buy into that romance. Waititi decides to give us that romance and subsequent break-up using one of the most famous rom-com tropes, the 'montage.' Set to the ABBA classic "Our Last Summer," we see Thor having a seemingly ideal suburban romance with Jane Foster. They have movie nights, go to costume parties, Roller Skate with Mjolnir... y'know, classic couples activities. The happiness soon begins to fade as their romance starts to fizzle out from arguing about plates, phone calls from "Nick Furry," and Thor eventually leaving and returning to find a note from Jane. Much like films of the genre like About Time, The Break-Up, and Definitely Maybe use tunes like "How Long Will I Love You," Queen's "You're My Best Friend," and Frank Sinatra's "I've Got A Crush On You," Love & Thunder shows us a different side of the God of Thunder in a montage that would obviously feel out of place in any other Marvel film.

Hell, even the crazed romantic partner trope plays a significant and memorable role in the film, but not in the way you'd expect. Love and Thunder opts to demonstrate this trope using Thor's signature two weapons of choice: the newly reformed Mjolnir and Stormbreaker. In his initial scenes with Jane, Thor is shown to be a bit jealous of his ex-girlfriend and ex-hammer's newfound love, to the point where Stormbreaker ominously floats over to the God of Thunder's side, reminding him "I'm still here." Thor even tries to make it up to Stormbreaker at one point, giving the ax its "first beer" as it guides his ship.


Thor and Jane even briefly get back together, at least before Jane's sacrificial demise. While surely, their break-up lasted significantly longer than most breakups in romantic comedies, their eventual kiss brings a little bit of satisfaction to both of them, even under tragic circumstances. While plenty of romcoms love to tie up the central love story in a neat little bow, Thor: Love and Thunder doesn't fully commit to giving its central couple their happily ever after. Instead, the film concludes with Jane making her way into Valhalla and Thor becoming the adopted father to Gorr's daughter Love (and a damn good one at that).


Plenty of romantic comedies try to give the audience characters that they can relate to, and Love and Thunder makes the God of Thunder feel more human than ever. Thor has had quite the evolution over the course of his MCU appearances (but that's a whole other story), and his personality in Love and Thunder may double down on giving us himbo Thor, but it also shows his continued vulnerability after his appearance in Avengers: Endgame. While both of Waititi's Thor films are some of the more comedy-driven Marvel films, the latest entry also reminds us that the titular hero has been plagued by tragedy and loss. Not only has he had to go through the loss of his adopted brother, several times, but he has also dealt with the loss of both his parents, Heimdall, and being racked with guilt after feeling responsible for "The Snap." The Thor here shows a fear of commitment, one who is trying to recapture his golden days by hanging out with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but is also hesitant to move forward in life, afraid of any future loss or failures that could potentially await him, and we feel his pain when Jane reveals her cancer diagnosis to him. The modern romantic comedy has moved past trying to portray men and women in regressive manners, relying on perfectionism and stereotypes, and instead has brought much more humanity. Films like Silver Linings Playbook and The Big Sick can show the demons that haunt the characters of Pat and Kumail, and Love and Thunder is able to portray that vulnerability too, through Thor.

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