Zeus removes thor's clothes | thor love and thunder
It's official: Thor: Love and Thunder has stormed into theaters.
Well, in select world regions, anyway. UK, Australian, and Indian Marvel fans have already started to catch the latest Marvel movie in cinemas, with Thor: Love and Thunder launching in those nations earlier than expected. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans who live in the US and most other international territories will have to wait for its arrival on Friday, July 8.
If you're among those who have already seen the film, you'll want to read our ending and post-credits scene explainer. Meanwhile, if you're still waiting to watch the Marvel Phase 4 project, we've got some other light reading for you. Our spoiler-free review of Thor: Love and Thunder has gone live so, if you're interested in finding out what we thought of the latest MCU flick, go and wrap your eyeballs around it.
"But what if I've already read TechRadar's awesome Thor 4 review?", we hear you cry. Fear not, dear reader, for there's plenty more to peruse in this Thor: Love and Thunder guide. Below, you'll find everything worth knowing about the superhero film before you see it in theaters. That includes its multiple trailers and TV spots, all-star cast, potential plot points, Thor's future in the MCU, and more.
A word of warning before you dive in: we deal with full spoilers for Thor's other three solo movies, plus his appearances in every Avengers film to date. Oh, and there may be slight spoilers for Thor 4 itself. If you're actively avoiding everything to do with Thor: Love and Thunder before you take your seat in a cinema, you'll want to skip parts of our cast and plot sections. You'll find another spoiler warning in each section, though, so you'll know when to move ahead.
Thor: Love and Thunder's official trailer is packed with humorous, thrilling, slightly terrifying, and wonderfully cosmic moments.
Opening with a story from Taika Waititi's Korg, the trailer hints at what Thor's been up to since the end of Avengers: Endgame. It isn't long, however, before a reunion with Jane Foster and the Guardians of the Galaxy, plus the MCU's vast array of gods pull Thor out of retirement and force him to tackle a new, menacing foe in Gorr the God Butcher.
Christian Bale's Gorr is the biggest highlight of the trailer reveal. We'd only seen leaked images of the MCU's latest big bad before the official trailer was released, so it's satisfying to get a good look at him before the movie arrives later this year. Here's hoping he's as scary and dangerous as the cast and crew have made him out to be.
One thing that isn't so frightening (depending on who you ask) is that nudity shot that Hemsworth's Thor is subjected to by Russell Crowe's Zeus. Speaking to Stephen Colbert(opens in new tab), Waititi explained that he wanted that particular scene to pay homage to how hard Hemsworth works at bulking up for the role, hence its inclusion. Whatever the reason, we suspect plenty of Hemsworth fans will be delighted to see the unpixellated version when the film arrives.
If you're curious to learn more about what was on show in Thor 4's official trailer, be sure to read our 'eight things you may have missed' trailer breakdown article. We discuss what comics the film was inspired by, cover Easter eggs present in the trailer, and speculate on where the movie fits on the MCU timeline.
Here's Thor: Love and Thunder's confirmed cast:
Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson
Tessa Thompson as King Valkyrie
Natalie Portman as Doctor Jane Foster/Mighty Thor
Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher
Taika Waititi as Korg
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord
Dave Bautista as Drax
Karen Gillan as Nebula
Pom Klementieff as Mantis
Vin Diesel as Groot
Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon
Sean Gunn as Kraglin
Russell Crowe as Zeus
Jaime Alexander as Sif
Matt Damon as actor Loki
Liam Hemsworth as actor Thor
Sam Neill as actor Odin
Melissa McCarthy as actor Hela