Thor 4 is happening. At San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that Natalie Portman will be the God of thunder for a third Thor sequel — titled Thor: Love and Thunder — that would be part of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The release date is November 5, 2021. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are also part of the cast. Taika Waititi is set to write and direct Thor 4, thanks to the critical and commercial success of his previous venture, Thor: Ragnarok. Thor: Love and Thunder is inspired by The Mighty Thor comic book, which Waititi has been reading, he said at Comic-Con.
Tessa Thompson — who played Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok and had a cameo in Avengers: Endgame — was the first to reveal that Thor 4 was in the works, claiming “a pitch has happened” with the idea being that Waititi would return to helm it. After Endgame, Hemsworth had himself said that he’d be open to reprising his role as Thor if Marvel had any plans for the character, and well, now that seems to be the case.
Although it’s a bit of a curveball, what with Portman taking on the mantle of Thor. Thor: Love and Thunder will no doubt deal with the fact that Thor left with the Guardians of the Galaxy in Endgame. Thompson’s Valkyrie also ties into the new title of Thor 4. At Comic-Con, Thompson said as the new Queen of Asgard, she will need to find her king.
Given the popularity of Ragnarok, it’s not surprising that Waititi is being brought back to continue the franchise. It has a 93 percent fresh rating on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and a worldwide box office gross of over $850 million, by far the best performer in the Thor franchise, which had struggled until that point.
In our review, we called it “a joyous romp that makes Thor fun” on account of Waititi’s fresh approach to the character, which treated its world-ending stakes as silly distractions, and the punchlines and one-liners that kept rolling off the assembly line, powered by its relentless self-awareness. Thompson’s Valkyrie, written as a hard-drinking uncaring force of nature, was also a terrific new addition to the Marvel world. Expectations will be high from Waititi on Thor 4.
Thor: Love and Thunder will release November 5, 2021 in cinemas worldwide.