Set after 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder will bring back Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster returning to take on the mantle of Mighty Thor in a plotline that looks straight out of the comic books - literally. However, unlike Thor’s previous outings, Thor 4 has an expansive cast of characters that includes the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Greek god of thunder, Zeus, portrayed by Russel Crowe, as well as Christian Bale, who will serve as the primary villain of the film. We’ve had a chance to check out Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher in the first Thor: Love and Thunder trailer, but the latest trailer features our most extensive look at everyone yet. Even though Thor: Love and Thunder will have several moving pieces, the center of its story remains Thor and how he goes through a Norse god’s equivalent of a midlife crisis. Just how exactly this will look is something that we will have to wait for a few weeks to see. For now, we’ll have to settle with Marvel Studios’ increased effort to market the film and generate hype. Financially, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness wasn’t a flop, but it might not have done as well as most expected. Thor’s movies generally don’t do that well at the global box office, with Hemsworth’s first film in 2011 just generating a couple of hundred thousand shy of $450 million. The second and third Thor movies were a lot better, grossing $644.8 million and $854 million, respectively. However, Thor 4 might have the largest budget of the four films, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the House of Mouse is expecting the movie to hit a billion by the time its theatrical run ends. Ultimately, we’re excited to see how Taika Waititi will handle Fat Thor’s journey in Thor: Love and Thunder. One of the more controversial moments from Endgame was how it cheapened Thor’s depression and PTSD, using him for comedic purposes. So far, the trailers for Thor 4 see Thor’s attempt to shed all that weight while also keeping his demons at bay. Hopefully, the film delivers on shedding light on such issues without necessarily bumming out the entire movie. As you wait for Thor: Love and Thunder to drop on July 8, you can check out Ms. Marvel, which comes out with a new episode every Wednesday.
