Thor. The name conjures images and feelings of power, strength, nobility, and courage. Actor Chris Hemsworth, who has portrayed Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2011, returns to play the iconic character in the next iteration, Thor: Love and Thunder, which is scheduled to drop July 2022. Along with Hemsworth, Natalie Portman makes her long-awaited return to the MCU as Dr. Jane Foster, Thor's ex-better half, cancer survivor, and The Mighty Thor. The way the Multiverse continues to unfold, Thor: Love and Thunder will undoubtedly have huge implications on the MCU.

Recently, images of the new promotional poster for Thor: Love and Thunder leaked online, and boy does it look busy! Gone are the days when artists painted cinema posters. Now it seems most of them are created in Photoshop, trying to fit every aspect and character in the movie in the poster. But who cares? Hemsworth and Portman both look amazing! And can we get some love for Valkyrie? And Korg. Just Korg. That's all we really need, isn't it?

Taika Waititi, who also directed Thor: Ragnarok, returns to direct Thor: Love and Thunder. Love and Thunder is a direct sequel to the joyous good time that was Thor: Ragnarok. Waititi is a treasure and must be protected at all costs. Also joining the cast is the forever amazing Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jamie Alexander as Sif, and Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster. In addition, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Vin Diesel (Groot), and Karen Gillian (Nebula), also join in the fun.

According to The Direct, the Thor promotional poster is an officially licensed product from Marvel, and that it was mistakenly distributed to retailers too early. However, it will be available for purchase in 2022. The poster certainly left an impression on Waititi as he made his feelings quite clear in a tweet.

This is so bad that I kinda wish it was an official poster. It's definitely what I would have done if I was in charge of posters. https://t.co/OnW7K2ubo3
— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) December 12, 2021

One of the highlights of the poster is Korg, who is wonderfully played by Waititi. Who doesn't love a Kronan gladiator with a New Zealand accent? Also standing out is Natalie Portman in her Mighty Thor armor. It's great to have her back after Portman's dissatisfaction with her character's portrayal in Thor: The Dark World. Thanks to a conversation Portman had with Waititi in which he convinced her that her character would develop into something different from where Foster was in The Dark World.

We also see Thor dons two different suits, which probably means he will be in two different environments considering that part of the movie will take place in space, and the other part will be on Earth (Midgard). Foster is holding a re-forged Mjolnir after Hela destroyed it in Ragnarok. And we have two goats, Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, because why not?

Another one of the most exciting aspects of Thor: Love and Thunder is the appearance of Gorr The God Butcher, played by Christian Bale. If you haven't read Thor: God of Thunder (2013) by Jason Aaron with art by Esad Ribic (check out his work on the newest Eternals run), do yourself a favor and read that as soon as you're done reading this article. They don't call Gorr The God Butcher for no reason. Also, if you want a head start before seeing Love and Thunder, Thor: God of Thunder will provide just that. With Gorr using Knull’s sword, All-Black the Necrosword, this could be a nod towards eventually seeing Knull in the MCU, which would be amazing!

Thor: Love and Thunder has a recipe for being a total blast to watch with Waititi at the helm, the return of Portman, and the appearance of Gorr The God Butcher. It won't be anything a few Vikings can't handle. Production on Thor: Love and Thunder wrapped last June 2021, with some necessary reshoots in October. Marketing for the movie is expected to begin soon.

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Source(s): The Direct, IMDb, ComicBook.com

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