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Coming to theaters on July 8, 2022, Thor: Love and Thunder will see the return of many old faces alongside new ones as part of its star-studded cast. Additionally, the Marvel film will also follow an unexpected storyline based on Jason Aaron's series, called The Mighty Thor.
Natalie Portman will be reprising her role as Jane Foster alongside Chris Hemsworth's Thor, making an MCU appearance nearly a decade after her portrayal of Jane in 2013's The Dark World.
Academy Award-winning actor Christian Bale will be making his first MCU appearance as the villain of the movie, Gorr the God Butcher from the comics.
The official synopsis of Thor: Love and Thunder reads:
"The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods."
To battle Gorr, Thor puts together a team comprising King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster.
What's new for this upcoming Marvel flick is that Natalie Portman's Foster is also Might Thor, who will be seen wielding the Mjolnir (Thor's hammer) after he is deemed unworthy of wielding it himself.
Let's find out all that we can ahead of the release of Thor: Love and Thunder next week.
Who are the actors in the star-studded cast list of Thor: Love and Thunder?
It doesn't come as a surprise that Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, the new ruler of Asgard, will reprise her role in the film alongside Thor and Might Thor.
Reports state that it took some convincing to get Natalie Portman to reprise her role as Jane Foster in the MCU. Following the comic book arc, Jane Foster (who will be known as Might Thor) is all set to become the God of Thunder after Thor himself is deemed unfit to wield the Mjolnir.
Speaking about Portman's Jane Foster/Might Thor, director Taika Waititi reportedly said:
"[She's] a Thor. There's still the other Thor, the original Thor. She's not called Female Thor. In the comics, she's called the Mighty Thor. It comes from that comic run."
Commenting on the actress' return to MCU, Waititi said:
"I just said to her, ‘Are you interested in coming back to this thing, but doing something really different?’ No one wants to keep repeating themselves, and no one wants to play the same characters all the time.
He added:
"And I think for her, just coming back, reprising that character in a whole fresh new way was really what would interest anyone. Especially in most of these films, if you’re not a superhero… do you really wanna keep doing that? I mean, I wouldn’t. I’d want to come back and change things up."
Batman star Christian Bale will make his first MCU appearance as a new villain, called Gorr The God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Originally introduced to the comics in 2012, the villain was banished from his community after being driven towards insanity following the deaths of his wife and children. He developed extraordinary powers after claiming the All-Black Necrosword, and vowed to kill every god in existence.
Reports state that Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt along with co-stars Karen Gillan and Dave Bautista will also make appearances on Thor: Love and Thunder as Star-Lord, Nebula, and Drax, respectively.
Additionally, Vin Diesel-voiced Groot, Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster and Jaimie Alexander's Lady Sif, who was last seen in The Dark World back in 2013, will also appear in the film. Other stars who will make guest appearances include Matt Damon and Russell Crowe.
Although fans expected Loki's return, no confirmation has been made about it yet.
Here is the full cast-list of Thor: Love and Thunder:
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher
- Tessa Thompson as King Valkyrie
- Taika Waititi as Korg
- Jaimie Alexander as Sif
- Russell Crowe as Zeus
- Natalie Portman as the Mighty Thor/Dr Jane Foster
- Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill
- Pom Klementieff as Mantis
- Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer
- Karen Gillan as Nebula
- Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri
- Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster
- Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot
- Matt Damon as Asgardian Actor Loki
- Sam Neill as Asgardian Actor Odin
- Luke Hemsworth as Asgardian Actor Thor
- Melissa McCarthy as Asgardian Actor Hela
- Ben Falcone as TBC
- Jenny Morris as TBC
- Simon Russell Beale as TBC
Grab your tickets for Thor: Love and Thunder as it nears the July 8 release date.
