After multiple delays,Taika Waititi’s reveal from 2019 has finally seen the light of day, with the launch of the first teaser for Thor: Love and Thunder. Before we say anything more, let’s first take a look at the teaser; now this is how you get MCU fans hyped up.
After Ragnarok’s inclusion of “The Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin, Waititi stoked up some serious good vibes, nostalgia, and some pretty solid emotional cues with the Guns N’ Roses classic “Sweet Child of Mine” — all within the trailer’s brief but packed 90-second runtime.
There’s an absolutely ridiculous amount of references, comic-book homages, key plot points, and more to unpack here. So let’s get started with Thor’s fourth film in the franchise.
Jack Kirby’s Original Thor Costume
The teaser kicks off with a pretty cool coming-of-age shot, as we see Thor running through what’s presumably the woods of Asgard — first as a young boy, then as a pre-MCU Thor, and finally as the God of Thunder we all have come to know and love.
What’s interesting here is that Thor’s second look in this shot is ripped straight from the comics, complete with cape, winged helmet, boots, chest-pads, and a gold belt. It’s a nice way to showcase how far the character has come and it adds to the list of other comic-accurate outfits we’ve seen previously in Captain America: The First Avenger and Loki.
Thor Gets Back in Shape
After the mildly controversial inclusion of ‘Fat Thor’ in Endgame, we now see the hero return to form with one hell of a training regimen — replacing battle ropes you see in several gyms with the iron shackles of a long-dead giant.
A cute little nod to the original comics features here too. Thor’s workout gear consists of some sweatpants, a tank top, some wristbands, and a baseball cap that reads ‘World’s Strongest, The Avengers’.
It’s a nice homage to the superhero team of old, even featuring the original Avengers comics logo from the 1960s and 70s.
A New Look…
Throughout his MCU appearances, Thor has worn six different outfits, most sticking to a modern-Asgard theme that brings together various elements from a host of different comics.
For a long time, the formula was simple: red cape, grey armor, and occasional hints of gold here and there. The formula wasn’t broken until we saw Thor’s ‘gladiator’ armor in Ragnarok, and you can bet that this time around, Waititi wanted to reflect Thor’s massive shift in priorities with a brand new outfit — giving us a bright, colorful red-blue-gold ensemble that leaves the Infinity War’s dark days in the past.
We also get to see Thor take a note out of Peter Quill’s fashion notes, rocking a sleeveless jacket midway through the teaser. Note the suspiciously empty space on the left of this shot
This also seems to be a direct reference to the ‘Donald Blake’ Thor story arc from the 1990s, where the title passed on to Erik Masterson — a construction worker who finds himself worthy of Mjolnir. While Erik eventually hands the mantle back to Thor, he does retain some Asguardian power, going by the name ‘Thunderstrike’, wearing a jacket much like Thor’s digs in the new teaser.
(Thankfully, he seems to have avoided that ponytail; some things should just stay in the past.)
While he does wear a more traditional… surprisingly furry outfit in the trailer, it’s fair to say the only MCU hero who beats Thor out in terms of costume changes is Tony Stark, with nearly 10 outfits shown in just this teaser.
…And A New Destiny
It’s a subtle and intelligently made decision that reflects Thor’s new choice — leaving behind Stormbreaker almost in the same way Thanos hung up his armor after killing off half the universe.
It makes sense too. Looking at the toll that war and loss has brought upon Thor in the last few films, we’ve now seen his character arc take a full 360 — going from a brash warrior to a defeated recluse, and now an ex-superhero looking to use his hands for peace, not violence.
As a key political figure for Asgard, perhaps it’s time to get into diplomacy. There’s more than one set of Gods in this wacky universe, after all.
Introducing Olympus
At some point in the film, Thor and the Guardians make their way to Olympus, the home of the Greek pantheon of Gods, ruled by Thor’s fellow God of Thunder, Zeus.
Played by Russel Crowe, Zeus has a legacy of being just as callous and petty as Asgard’s ex-ruler and Thor’s father, Odin. With plenty of experience dealing with this, it’s interesting to see how the two interact, especially considering their evenly-matched powers.
Hopefully, we’ll also get to see other members of the Greek pantheon with Hercules being a particularly interesting choice to come across.
There’s one sinister reveal that the teaser suspiciously avoids. Where’ there’s Gods, there’s bound to be…
… Gorr, The God Butcher
With recent leaks surrounding his look for the film, Christian Bale’s symbiote-fuelled villain is one of the film’s most exciting points, and one that the teaser doesn’t mention – at least not directly.
Pictured above is a lovingly crafted shot from the teaser, which faithfully recreates a panel from Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic’s thor: God of Thunder #3. In it, we see a massive beast’s corpse, being observed by Thor and his Waititi-voiced buddy, Korg. The beast in question is actually a ‘God’ in the Marvel universe – an old friend of Thor’s named ‘Falligar the Behemoth’, that ‘wrestles black holes for fun’, at least according to the comics
This scene is part of Thor’s initial introduction to Gorr, as he discovers a wake of God-corpses strewn across the galaxy, hoping to find out and stop the killer.
With Olympus playing a big role in the film, chances are that Gorr shows up at some point – and members of the Greek pantheon find themselves on the wrong end of Gorr’s deadly Necrosword.
Meanwhile In New Asgard…
After the cataclysmic events of Thanos’ snap, several Asgardian refugees found a new home at Tønsberg, a real-life city in East Norway that’s one of the area’s most ancient settlements.
Repopulating and renaming it to New Asgard, Brunnhilde AKA Valkyrie becomes the Asgardians’ new leader, as the area becomes something of a tourist super-destination on Earth — bet that’s good for business.
Valkyrie, as leader of the Asgardians, however, seems a bit out of her element here. Spotted above at what seems to be a global energy conference, King Valkyrie seems out of touch with political bureaucracy. We also spotted Korg’s buddy Miek in a suit on the right. Perhaps she’s busy assisting Valkyrie?
In the meantime, Thor himself sets sail on the Goat Boat — a seemingly interstellar Asgardian craft pulled by Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, two of Thor’s steeds in the original Norse myths. Where’s he going? Our bets are on Olympus.
If you take a closer peek at the teaser, the Goat Boat also has a neon sign that says ‘Cocktails and Dreams’ — a tiny nod at Tom Cruise’ 1988 film, Cocktail.
Natalie Portman Becomes The God of Thunder
Finally — in what’s probably the most-awaited reveal of the film — we get to see Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster pick up a freshly reforged Mjolnir and become the new God of Thunder.
We last saw an alternate-universe version of Mjolnir in Endgame, wielded by Steve Rogers, who, after using it to decimate Thanos’ forces, handed it back to alt-universe Thor.
In our MCU continuity, Thor’s deadly sister Hela shattered Mjolnir back in Ragnarok. It, however, seems that Jane Foster has found a way to bring the legendary weapon back to life. Portman also got pretty jacked for the role. She spoke to Vanity Fair last August about this process, sharing how it helped her break into character.
“It definitely helps you get into character, and it’s definitely changed the way I move. You walk differently; you feel different. I mean, it’s so wild to feel strong for the first time in my life,” she shared. It’s also impressive to note that Portman packed on muscle on an entirely vegan diet.
Her suit is also pretty old-school, which several fans loved to see. Jane Foster’s MCU appearance is extremely faithful to the above comic rendition by Russell Dauterman, featuring the same armor accents, vambraces, and of course, the classic winged helmet.
With Gorr still missing, we’re hoping that by July, we get a closer look at the villian, and perhaps a hint of where the symbiote storyline will go, moving forward.
Thor: Love and Thunder opens on July 8th, 2022.
(Featured Image Credits: Marvel Studios)
