Warning: This Article Contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Thor: Love and ThunderThor: Love and Thunder is the 29th film in the MCU and sees the titular hero on a quest to stop the villainous Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) while reconnecting with his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who now wields his former broken hammer to become the Mighty Thor. The film is directed by Taika Waititi who relaunched the Thor franchise with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. It draws heavily from the Jason Aaron run in the comics which introduced the character of Gorr the God Butcher, Jane Foster’s cancer storyline, and the character becoming the Mighty Thor.
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The film has so far received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, earning a B+ CinemaScore from opening night crowds. While currently there is no direct plan outlined for where the various Phase 4 projects of the MCU are leading, there have been hints at a greater emphasis on the multiverse, secrets of the past informing the future, and the threat of the villain Kang the Conqueror on the horizon. More will likely be revealed following the Marvel Studios Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23, 2022.
Yet Thor: Love and Thunder, despite being a rather standalone film, does lay the groundwork for a lot of interesting possibilities for the franchise moving forward. Ones that not only indicate future Thor films, but massive crossover event series, larger-than-life threats, and possibly the secret introduction of a new Marvel superhero hiding in plain sight. This is how Thor: Love and Thunder sets up the future of the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel Studios
Avengers: Endgame ended with Thor joining the Guardians of the Galaxy on their next adventures. While purely speculation, it is possible this was done by Marvel Studios in an attempt to get Taika Waititi to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after James Gunn was fired from the film (Gunn would later be rehired on March 15, 2019, just a month before Avengers: Endgame opened in theaters). Thor: Love and Thunder opens with Thor as a full-fledged member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
His relationship with Star-Lord appears to be less competitive, although Thor does seem to still be a little presumptuous about what is and is not his. The Guardians and Thor part ways early on in the film, and will next be seen in the Holiday Special of The Guardians of the Galaxy set to premiere on Disney+ later this year, and then in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 set for release on May 5, 2023.
While no plot details are hinted at, there are some interesting clues about the Guardians of the Galaxy dynamic. It appears both Kraglin and Nebula are now full-blown members of the team, with Nebula being much more welcome amongst everyone compared to where she was in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The team is taking a much more active part in protecting the galaxy, answering distress calls and appear to have gone from space pirates to full-blown space heroes.
Most importantly, the Gamora Variant from Avengers: Endgame is still missing. Peter Quill mentions how he lost Gamora and how much it hurts, but it appears in that time he has grown even closer with his surrogate family. What this means for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 remains to be seen, but it could indicate that Peter Quill’s arc may not end with a romantic resolution with Gamora like Guardians of the Galaxy might have projected back in 2014.
Thor As A Father
At the end of Thor: Love and Thunder, the hero adopts the daughter of Gorr, who is named Love, after the villain wishes for his daughter to be brought back to life before dying. This further connects Thor to his father Odin, as both men have now adopted the child (Love/Loki) of a former enemy (Gorr/Laufey). With Thor now as a protector and father figure, and the end credits informing the audience that “Thor Will Return,” it likely means Thor and Love will be a package deal for future adventures.
This opens the door for new story possibilities for the God of Thunder, having to look out and protect a young child while also teaching her how to be a hero. Thor’s driving force across the MCU has been for love, being romantic (Jane), family (Odin, Loki, Friga), friendship (The Avengers), and now a fatherly love will be his driving motivator.
Thor’s Daughter Might Be A Hidden MCU Hero
Marvel Comics
While Thor has had children in the comics and other media, they normally are from alternate realities and possible futures while also being his genetic children. Love is an entirely original character for the MCU, with the closest comic book parallel being one of Gorr’s unnamed children from the comics who died. However, the MCU has been known to amalgamate different characters, with Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2 being a composite of Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo, and most recently Sylvie on Loki drawing from both Lady in the comics but also the Enchantress. It is entirely possible Love herself is a potential new hero, one who if need be could join the upcoming Young Avengers which the MCU seems to be building to. Yet who could Love be? The two biggest hints might be the character of Star Brand and Captain Universe.
Star Brand has been around Marvel Comics, since the 1980s but was primarily in self-contained stories outside the main universe. Star Brand is a star-shaped tattoo that gives its bearer infinite, god-like powers, limited only by the wielder’s imagination. With Love being the child of Eternity, the idea of infinite power fits her very well. Combine that with the fact that Star Brand was recently heavily featured in Jason Aaron’s work on The Avengers comics; Aaron’s Thor run was a major inspiration for Thor: Love and Thunder.
It was in Aaron’s New Avengers storyline where he brought Star Brand into the main Marvel Universe which also was when the writer introduced the multiversal threat of Incursions began to take shape, something hinted at in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Combine that with the fact that the Star Brand recently found itself attached to a young girl named Brandy who is under the care of The Avengers very similar to Love. All these connections seem to indicate Love could be the MCU Star-Brand.
The other likely candidate is the character Captain Universe, which like Star Brand is a title wielded by many characters. Captain Universe in the comics is the protector of Eternity, the very being which brought Love back to life. With Love being the child of Eternity and her powers being drawn from it, the MCU could easily make her their version of the Captain Universe character, simplifying the character’s years-long complicated continuity. Given the direct connection to Eternity and Captain Universe in the comics, this seems like the safest bet for Love’s future in the MCU.
Enter Hercules
The film’s end credit scene shows Zeus (Russell Crowe) sending his son Hercules (Brett Goldstein) to fight Thor and make humans fear the Gods again. In the comics, Hercules begins as a foe for Thor but quickly becomes an ally and a supporting player in Marvel Comics including being a member of The Avengers.
He also has a romantic history with Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk. She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is the next MCU series and project after Thor: Love and Thunder, and while it is unlikely Hercules will appear in the series so quickly after his cameo in Thor: Love and Thunder, the character could appear in a later season of the show. With the recently announced Thunderbolts on the horizon, it appears they are recruiting characters to be mirrored to The Avengers like U.S. Agent as their Captain America, so Hercules could become the team’s Thor.
War Of The Realms
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The end credit scene of Thor: Love and Thunder clearly is setting up a Thor and Hercules conflict which could take the shape of a number of adaptations. Zeus’s wording about fear could indicate a setup for an adaptation of the 2011 storyline Fear Itself but subbing out that comic Asgardian Gods with Olympians.
It is also likely it could be setting up an adaptation of the critically acclaimed series “The War of the Realms” with Zeus and Hercules replacing Maleketh (who was the main villain in Thor: The Dark World). The MCU has been expanding its pantheon of gods, not only with the Norse and Greek Gods but also with the Egyptian pantheon introduced in Moon Knight. Eternals featured the Celestials, being responsible for creating all life in the universe and they are a threat hanging in the wings waiting to cast judgment upon Earth. Thor: Love and Thunder did make reference to how probably the characters will be hunted down by other God-like figures following the attack on Zeus. It appears there are many god-like factors looking to bring chaos to Earth, setting the stage for a massive battle between various realms of existence. Worth noting is that “The War of the Realms” was written by Jason Aaron who as mentioned before comic storylines have served as a major source of inspiration for many Phase 4 projects.
Jane Foster in the Future of Thor
Much of the pre-hype around Thor: Love and Thunder was that Jane Foster appeared as The Mighty Thor as she did in the comics around 2014. This led many to believe the story would be about passing the mantle of the franchise over from Chris Hemsworth to Natalie Portman similar to how Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson character has become the new Captain America, taking over from Chris Evan’s Steve Rogers. However, that was not the case; in fact, the opposite happened as Jane Foster died by the end of the film and Chris Hemsworth still appears to be sticking with the Thor franchise.
However, the film’s post-credits scene reveals that Jane Foster has ascended to the realm of Vahalla, the land of the dead in Norse mythology. While this could be a way to signify the character being at peace, it also leaves the door open for her to return to the MCU in some capacity later on. In the comics after dying, Jane Foster is transformed into a Valkyrie during the previously mentioned “The War of the Realms” storyline. Since Valhalla appears to be another realm of reality, it is entirely it is possible to access through the Marvel Multiverse and the MCU recently introduced America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness so if the character needs to be recruited they have potentially easy access to her. It remains to be seen if Jane will return, but the door is left slightly open.
