Fans have been hounding director Taika Waititi and Marvel Studios for weeks for the release of the Thor: Love and Thunder teaser trailer, which thankfully dropped this morning. While the teaser is short (that’s why they call it a teaser!), it certainly got the Marvel fandom even more excited about what is to come in the fourth installment to the Thor franchise.
Check out some of the key takeaways from the teaser below — and be on the lookout for more news here ahead of the movie’s theatrical release July 8, 2022.
Thor Odinson — Still The Strongest Avenger
Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Odinson has had a rough go of it since his introduction into the MCU, and I don’t think I need to dive too far into that. He’s lost so many friends and family (some of them multiple times … I’m looking at you, Loki) and has endured so much that it was no surprise to see Thor as sort of a mess in Avengers: Endgame. Luckily, Thor has had the chance to right some of his wrongs and begin looking forward to a brighter future — and as such, he gets a workout montage in which he is wearing a hat that simply reads — Strongest Avenger. The heavily bearded and cuddly look from Avengers: Endgame won’t last long, it would seem, as most of the trailer features several new looks — including a comic-accurate look — for the former king of Asgard.
King Valkyrie of New Asgard
Speaking of the King of Asgard — we all know there is a new one, and she would appear to be absolutely killing it. From the brief glimpse of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, we see her looking rather official and impeccable in a tailored suit as she sits atop the throne to New Asgard. We also receive small looks at the advancements that have been made around New Asgard since her reign began, and it would certainly appear that Valkyrie has not taken long to transform the town from a sleepy sea town to an impressive and enticing destination. Clearly, King Valkyrie has transformed the town into a tourist attraction, complete with Viking-inspired cruise ships. You’ve absolutely got to hand it to her for her ingenuity.
The Guardians of the Galaxy
We knew Marvel’s cosmic family of misfits, the Guardians of the Galaxy, last departed Earth with Thor Odinson at the closing of Avengers: Endgame — although it was a topic of contention between Thor and Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill to decide where exactly they were going. Assuming from the shot of the Guardians we received in the trailer, the team has yet to be reunited with Gamora — though Drax, Nebula, Mantis, Rocket, and a teenage Groot are all still present. As can be expected from a Waititi project, it seems from the teaser Thor is perhaps developing a crush on Peter Quill, which I am so beyond here for it.
Comic To Screen Parallels
We didn’t get to see Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher in the teaser, which I am perfectly fine with as I have no issue waiting until the movie for this reveal. Gorr not being present doesn’t mean his presence isn’t there, and his handiwork is absolutely displayed for us in the form of a perfect comic-to-screen parallel. The shot above is a re-creation of a panel from Thor: God of Thunder #3, the third installment in the storyline that introduced Gorr, and clearly a source of inspiration for Thor: Love and Thunder. In the shot, we see Falligar the Behemoth, a god who has clearly been slain by Gorr. In the comics, Thor discovers Falligar as he tracks Gorr throughout the galaxy, finding dead deity amongst dead deity along the way.
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A New God In Town
One deity that has clearly evaded Gorr (for now, at least) is Zeus — the King of the Olympians. The teaser featured our first look at Russell Crowe in the role and was certainly a tease … as the only view we get of the character is the one seen above from behind! Seeing his famed lightning bolt was certainly a nice touch, and it absolutely brings several questions to mind — will we see some thunder god on thunder god action (Thor vs. Zeus), and will we finally see the introduction of Hercules to the MCU?
The Mighty Thor Arrives
Last but certainly not least, we have the arrival of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster — only she is not the Jane Foster we saw earlier and is now the Mighty Thor. Not only is Portman appropriately muscular for this new (kind of) role, she is also wearing a winged Thor helmet, which I am personally enthralled to see come into live-action finally. Notable here as well is the appearance of Mjolnir, which appears to have been reforged after Hela destroyed it in Thor: Ragnarok and still bursting with cosmic energy.
