The next Marvel Studios film slated for 2022 is none other than the next installment of the God of Thunder in Thor: Love and Thunder. Since its announcement during the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, Taika Waititi was set to return in leading a Marvel project for the second time following his major success with the previous film, Thor: Ragnarok. The success catapulted the New Zealand director to the big leagues of Hollywood as he won an Oscar for his 2019 satire drama film Jojo Rabbit and will direct a Star Wars film in the upcoming years.
Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Love and Thunder follows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who is back on some cosmic adventures after leaving New Asgard and tagging along with the Guardians of the Galaxy. However, he seeks to put his days of battle behind him and find out who he is after being an Avenger. His desired superhero retirement is short-lived when a new threat arises in the form of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) whose deadly mission is to kill all gods. Thor gathers his own team up to stop this menacing force which includes the shocking reunion with his ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who now wields the same power as him.
Chris Hemsworth becomes the first Marvel star to lead four solo films for his character's franchise and with this fourth film comes a distinguished cast. Returning characters include Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, who is the new king of New Asgard after Thor passed on the responsibility to her. Jaimie Alexander is set to come back as Sif after being absent during the previous film. As mentioned, the most intriguing return to the cast is Natalie Portman's Jane Foster who takes on the Mighty Thor mantle straight from the comics. Funnily enough, Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, and Sam Neill have been confirmed to reprise their roles as the meta inserts in the film as Asgardian stage actors portraying Loki, Thor, and Odin respectively. The cast from Guardians of the Galaxy will also appear, which includes Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, and Sean Gunn. On top of this already star-studded cast, we have newcomers Russell Crowe as Zeus and the former Dark Knight, Christian Bale, as the film's sinister villain Gorr the God Butcher.
Before we find out if lightning will strike twice for Waititi's second Marvel project, here's a handy guide to find out how to watch the next MCU movie.
Watch the Thor: Love and Thunder Trailers
The first teaser trailer for the film was highly anticipated due to the expectation that Marvel teaser trailers are normally dropped four months before the film's release. The teaser finally dropped on April 18, 2022, set to "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses. With only brief glimpses of cosmic landscapes and a few humorous moments with the Guardians of the Galaxy, the trailer ended with the mic-drop moment of Jane in her Mighty Thor outfit.
The official trailer followed on May 23, 2022, which included a comical opening narration by Thor's rocky sidekick, Korg (Taika Waititi). Thor undergoes a transformation following the events of Avengers: Endgame and is in search of some self-discovery for his purpose. More footage is shown of the Mighty Thor in action along with Thompson's Valkyrie tagging along with the group. The film's villain, Gorr the God Butcher, is also shown in all his frightening glory.
When Is Thor: Love and Thunder in Theaters?
The fourth Thor film is expected to hit cinemas on July 8, 2022, worldwide. Some countries in Asia and Europe such as the Philippines and Ireland will be receiving the movie slightly earlier on July 6 and July 7 respectively. Prior to the pandemic, the film was originally slated for release on November 5, 2021. However, it was pushed back to the following year to become the second MCU movie of 2022. It will reportedly continue the pattern of shorter runtimes for MCU films after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Love and Thunder will clock in at 119 minutes or 1 hour and 59 minutes.
Is Thor: Love and Thunder Streaming Online?
Similar to the previous Marvel films, Love and Thunder will be available to stream online on Disney+, but only after its 45-day run in cinemas. With that given time window, it's highly possible that the film can be expected to be available towards the end of August or early September. This will also apply to the film becoming available digitally or for video on demand on other platforms such as Google Play, Amazon, or iTunes.
More Movies to Watch Before Thor: Love and Thunder
With the MCU now in Phase 4 of its grand story, there is definitely an overwhelming amount of interwoven movies and shows that share varying amounts of continuity. Thankfully, Thor has a relatively small number of appearances that thread between his solo movies and the Avengers films. Only recently, Waititi also confirmed that no elements of the Multiverse will be included in the film and that it's "the singular-verse" meaning it will be a confined story pertaining to Thor. That being said, here are some vital films to watch in order to be aptly prepared for watching Love and Thunder.
Thor: The Dark World
The second installment of the Thor franchise was the last film that Jane Foster appeared in and even held a significant role that was briefly revisited in Avengers: Endgame. Despite infamously being regarded as one of the lower-rated films of the MCU, The Dark World is a key movie that explores Thor and Jane's relationship, which came to an ambiguous end despite what the second post-credit scene suggested of him coming back to Midgard for her.
Thor: Ragnarok
Where it all began for the Taika Waititi era of the Thor franchise, Ragnarok took Thor in an unexpected but hilarious direction. Its wacky, comedic, and vibrant tone can be expected to also permeate through Love and Thunder, while also involving a badass and powerful villain for Thor to face. This was also the film that introduced Valkyrie and Korg, who will indeed still be there to accompany Thor on his next journey in Love and Thunder.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
It bears some importance to brush up on the Guardians of the Galaxy, who will be alongside Thor at least during the start of Love and Thunder before they part ways as indicated by the trailer. The Guardians franchise is perhaps the most similar in tone to Waititi's take on Thor, given the vivid cosmic settings, sarcastic quips, and found family group dynamics. It certainly makes for the most fitting crossover and match-up of these characters within the MCU. Especially with the reformed group of the Guardians now including Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Kraglin (Sean Gunn), who aligned with the established five members after this movie.
Avengers: Endgame
As mentioned, Love and Thunder picks up after the events of Endgame, considering Thor left with the Guardians of the Galaxy and was in a very unfit form. Even with Endgame's jam-packed plot, Thor's arc was quite notable for its amusing turn on the surface that actually held layers of his trauma and depression. The film marked one of Thor's lowest points not just physically but mentally, especially due to his guilt in not being able to stop Thanos from committing the universe-altering ending of Avengers Infinity War. Ultimately, Thor plays a big part in the epic final battle against Thanos and relinquishes his responsibility as king to Valkyrie. This all sets up the momentum for his drastic change in Love and Thunder to better himself and even move on from his days of being an Avenger.
