Black Widow is still months away, and we’re already talking about the very last entry in the Phase 4 lineup, Thor: Love and Thunder. Now that’s high anticipation, to say the least. Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok quickly became top-tier Marvel when it was released in 2017 and his coming return to the franchise is a huge draw for fans. Oh, and don’t count Tessa Thompson and Natalie Portman out of the hype.
During the red carpet premiere for Season 3 of Westworld, Tessa Thompson provided an update about Thor: Love and Thunder, including a cute detail about Thompson and Natalie Portman writing a ton of messages back and forth. In her words:
Yeah, yeah, I've read the script. I can't tell you much, lots of exciting text messages exchanged between Natalie [Portman] and I. We're gonna have fun, we're gonna have fun. Taika [Waititi] is writing and directing, some familiar faces, some new people into the mix, Christian Bale is gonna play our villain, which is gonna be fantastic. Yeah, it's gonna be good.
That text chat has got to be really juicy! Tessa Thompson had to remain tight-lipped about her next Marvel project, but she spilled a few things. The massive reveal from the ET interview was confirmation that Christian Bale is indeed playing the villian in Thor: Love and Thunder. Since January the actor has been attached to the role, but now it’s official. Let the theorizing continue.
Fans have guessed a range of roles for Christian Bale to take on in Thor: Love and Thunder. A few of the latest include the former Batman playing the devil-like villain Mephisto or CEO of a highly-polluting energy company, Dario Agger a.k.a. Minotaur. Bale joins Chris Hemsworth’s return as Thor and Natalie Portman also wielding the hammer this time around as The Mighty Thor.
Jane Foster so far has been known as the girlfriend of Thor in the first two films and ended up taking a backseat to the story for Thor: Ragnarok. Natalie Portman has to be excited to redefine her character as a much more badass version. Tessa Thompson’s Valykrie also has an exciting story arc ahead of her. When Thompson was asked if she’d remain King of Asgard, here’s what she said:
Hell yeah, of course she will. ... She's king. If she can't find her queen she'll just be king and queen at the same time.
Yes! In Avengers: Endgame, Thor handed off the title to her once he realized he was no longer fit to rule. As Tessa Thompson teased at San Diego Comic Con over summer, Valkyrie will be in search of her queen as the first order of business. The comment hinted at one of Marvel’s first signs of LGBTQ representation – the first openly gay superhero in the MCU will appear in this fall’s Eternals.
Thor: Love and Thunder will start production this August ahead of its November 5, 2021 release.
