Well, it’s about damn time. With the release of Thor: Love And Thunder just months away, the internet has been clamouring for a first glimpse of Taika Waititi’s second outing with the lovable lightning-powered demigod. Finally, the Asgardians have heard our prayers, and delivered an Easter gift in the form of a very brief, very exciting teaser for the new Thor solo movie, which finds our hero in somewhat of a reflective place – and, perhaps, about to leave behind his “superhero-ing days” for good. Watch it below.
The introspection is hardly surprising – the last time we saw Thor, in Avengers: Endgame, he was embracing his newly bigger body, had just helped to defeat Thanos (after blaming himself for not aiming for the head the first time), proved himself worthy of both hammer Mjolnir and new weapon Stormbreaker, and flew off with what remained of the Guardians gang. Love And Thunder looks to be a continuation of Thor’s journey of self-discovery, opening with a montage of him through the ages sprinting through trees, with a voiceover from the God of Thunder telling us that his hands, “once used for battle”, are these days “but humble tools for peace”, and saying that he needs to figure out exactly who he is.
Whilst this teaser gives very little away in terms of plot, there are plenty of key moments to pick out – Thor seems to have hung around with the Guardians for at least a little while longer (and his hilariously competitive alpha-male relationship with Chris Pratt’s Starlord has clearly continued); Korg, voiced by Waititi himself, is back; and there’s new locations to explore, including what looks like a pirate ship, a floating city, and, given the lightning-grabbing money shot of who we’re guessing is Russell Crowe’s Zeus, Mount Olympus? As for Asgard, it looks to be thriving, with an increased population, flying boats overhead and large cruise ships on the water – though King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) seems less than happy, glimpsed looking sharp in a suit at some kind of board meeting. The real applause-worthy, jump-out-your-seat moment, though? Forget Cap lifting the hammer in Endgame – this time, it’s flying into the hands of Natalie Portman, aka. Jane Foster, aka. The Mighty Thor, aka. Yes Please We Want To Watch It Right Now, Thanks.
But, with no sign of Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher yet, or really any hints at the storyline, there’s still a lot to learn. Shall we give ‘Get Help’ a go, and maybe Marvel will spill the beans? If not, we’ll find out just who Thor really is when Love And Thunder lands in cinemas in July 2022.