Get the Scoop on Thor: Love and Thunder—Including Release Date, Trailer and Which Marvel Stars Will Appear!

Author:
Alexandra Hurtado
May 24, 2022

Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth standalone Thor film, is bringing the laughs and plenty of thunder! Chris Hemsworth is back as the God of Thunder in Marvel Studios' upcoming film.

The movie, directed by Taika Waititi, has "all the feels of a classic Thor adventure," according to Hemsworth. After wrapping the project in 2021, the Avengers star teased that it's going to "be bats**t crazy off the wall funny and might also pull a heartstring or two," adding, "Lots of love, lots of thunder!"

There will also be lots of familiar faces from the MCU, including some of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Keep reading to find out which Marvel stars will be appearing in the new movie—plus, take a look at the official trailers!—with our guide to everything we know so far about Thor: Love and Thunder.

When is the Thor: Love and Thunder release date?

Mark your calendars! The movie arrives Friday, July 8, 2022.

Is there a trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder?

Marvel Studios dropped the first teaser trailer on April 18, less than three months before the film's scheduled release date! "My superhero'ing days are over," Thor declares in the official teaser, which garnered a whopping 209 million views in its first 24 hours.

The 89-second video shows Thor working out (seemingly shedding the weight he gained in Avengers: Endgame, while rocking a Strongest Avenger hat) and together with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The teaser also gave viewers their first look at Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor!

A second full trailer dropped on May 23, 2022, showing Waititi's Korg narrating a story about the Mighty Thor. We see Thor working out after gaining weight in Avengers: Endgame (or as Korg says, going from "dad bod to god bod"). He calls for Mjolnir during a battle, but the iconic hammer passes him by and Portman's Jane Foster catches it, bewildering the Asgardian demigod. We see them fight side by side, as well as get a glimpse of Christian Baleas Gorr the God Butcher and Russell Croweas Zeus.

Who is in the Thor: Love and Thunder cast?

The Thor: Love and Thunder cast includes:

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie

Natalie Portman as Jane Foster

Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif

Taika Waititi as Korg

Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher

Russell Crowe as Zeus

Dave Bautista as Drax

Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill

Pom Klementieff as Mantis

Sean Gunn as Kraglin

Karen Gillan as Nebula

Matt Damon as actor Loki

Damon, who previously made a cameo in Thor: Ragnarok, previously revealed that he made another cameo as actor Loki in the new movie. The Martian star also appeared to confirm that Thor's real-life brother, Luke Hemsworth, will appear in the fourth Thor film. "I don't know if it's secret or not. Everybody knows I went down there to shoot and I think they sussed out, cause paparazzi took pictures of us, so that they sussed out what we were doing," Damon said on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show. "We were kind of reprising a cameo that Luke Hemsworth and I did in the last one. And we had a ball, and so Taika [Waititi] had us back again to kind of run that joke back and upgrade it a little bit."

Other rumored cameo roles include Melissa McCarthy as actor Hela and Sam Neill as actor Odin.

What will happen in Thor: Love and Thunder?

Marvel Studios has revealed that in the new film, Hemsworth's character finds himself "on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced–a quest for inner peace." However, Thor's "retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who—to Thor’s surprise—inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late."

Waititi revealed to Empire in 2021 that Thor: Love and Thunder is "very different" from 2017's Thor:Ragnarok, which he also directed. “It’s crazier," the director shared. "I’ll tell you what’s different. There’ll be far more emotion in this film. And a lot more love. And a lot more thunder."

Aside from more thunder, it seems Waititi is also delivering plenty of laughs with Thor: Love and Thunder. Karen Gillan teased in a previous interview with Collider that Hemsworth's Marvel character is even funnier this time around. The Guardians of the Galaxy actress, who appeared in Endgame with Hemsworth, said, "The Guardians in it I think are just hilarious, and also Thor is even more hilarious than he was the last time.”

Will Loki be in Thor: Love and Thunder?

Although there is an actor Loki cameo by Damon in Thor: Love and Thunder, Tom Hiddleston, who portrays the actual Loki in the MCU, did not return for the fourth movie. According to Screen Rant, the actor confirmed in 2021 that his character did not make an appearance in the film.

"We talked about the Thor movies as a family saga, and the diametric opposition between Thor and Loki and duality and antagonism being a book that perhaps should remain closed for the moment," Hiddleston told Empire (via Digital Spy). "We have explored about as much as we can about these two brothers."

Which movie did Thor last appear in?

The God of Thunder last appeared in 2019's Endgame. At the end of the film, Valkyrie told Thor that his people needed a King, to which he said, "No, they already have one." The Avenger explained to Valkyrie, "It's time for me to be who I am rather than who I'm supposed to be. But you, you're a leader. That's who you are."

Thor went on to admit that he wasn't sure what he was going to do. "For the first time in a thousand years I have no path," he said. "I do have a ride though"... with the Guardians of the Galaxy!

Will MCU fans see Thor again?

Hemsworth has said that he doesn't plan on retiring his Marvel character after Thor: Love and Thunder. "I am not going into any retirement period," the actor stated in an interview with Poland's Elle Man magazine (via PEOPLE) in 2020. "Thor is way too young for that. He's only 1,500 years old!"

He added, "It is definitely not a film that I say goodbye to this brand. At least I hope so."