In lieu of a trailer (which incidentally has just broken the Marvel record for the shortest window between trailer release and the movie hitting theaters) we must rely on promotional art for our Thor: Love and Thunder fix. And the latest artwork is a doozy, offering our best look yet at both Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Natalie Portman’s return as a super-powered Jane Foster.
Revealed by Twitter user @DisneyphileLIVE, the translated caption reads; “Check out a never-before-seen promotional visual for Thor: Love & Thunder featuring Thor and Mighty Thor (Jane Foster).”
The image, which is similar to an image that has recently begun doing the rounds, gives us by far our best look yet at the two characters and their costumes, as Thor and The Mighty Thor unite to tackle whichever world-ending threat has decided to rear its head this time around.
While Thor’s new costume looks fairly typical, aside from being infused with a lot of blue and gold, it’s Jane Foster’s suit of armor that is the most exciting. Wielding a reforged Mjölnir (you can still see the cracks from where it has been put back together if you look closely) Foster’s Mighty Thor will clearly don a very comic-accurate outfit when she makes her debut.
Hardly anything regarding the plot of Thor: Love and Thunder has been officially revealed, but we do know that Natalie Portman will reprise the role of Jane Foster, this time taking on some superhero duties of her own. Last appearing in Thor: The Dark World, how and why Foster returns is unknown, but it is expected that her journey will take at least some inspiration from The Mighty Thor comic book run written by Jason Aaron with artwork from Russell Dauterman.
The comic sees Jane Foster suit up as the Asgardian hero while receiving treatment for breast cancer, with the power of Thor’s hammer both restoring her strength but stopping her cancer treatment from working. How closely Thor: Love and Thunder will stick to these elements remains to be seen.
Thor: Love and Thunder will also introduce The Dark Knight star Christian Bale as the villainous Gorr the God Butcher. An alien warrior wronged by the gods and on a quest for revenge, Thor will no doubt need the assistance of The Mighty Thor when this particular monster comes knocking at his door.
Taika Waititi Has Described Thor: Love and Thunder as His “Craziest” Movie
Director Taika Waititi, who returns to the MCU following the acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok, has since teased the cinematic chaos in store with Thor: Love and Thunder. "Well, just between [me and] you and the readers, I've done some crazy sh*t in my life. I've lived, like, ten lifetimes. But it's the craziest film I've ever done," Waititi said.
"If you wrote down all the elements of this film, it shouldn't make sense," the director added, "It's almost like it shouldn't be made. If you walked into a room and said, 'I want this and this and this.' Who's in it? These people. What are you going to call it? Love And Thunder. I mean, you'd never work again. Maybe I won't after this."
Thor: Love and Thunder is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 8, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.