Thor 4 leak confirms it's the biggest crossover in Marvel Phase 4
The Guardians of the Galaxy are definitely tagging along for this adventure.
Thor 4 is going to be massive. The upcoming Marvel movie — officially known as Thor: Love and Thunder — will be the second in the Thor franchise directed by Taika Waititi, following his work on 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. The film won’t just see Chris Hemsworth returning in the role of Thor either, but will feature a number of other familiar faces returning to the Marvel Cinematic. Indeed, after months of speculation, it looks like the Guardians of the Galaxy will be appearing in the film as well.
Thor 4: Asgardians of the Galaxy?
The final confirmation came this week from none other than Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who revealed that, yes, he has been doing some Guardians consulting for Thor: Love and Thunder. Gunn went on to say that the characters are in “great hands” under Waititi’s direction, but that won’t come as much of a surprise to fans of Waititi’s work both in and out of the MCU.
Gunn’s tweet also comes following a slew of other hints/confirmations of the Guardians’ inclusion in the Thor film. Both Chris Pratt and Karen Gillan confirmed they would be reprising their respective roles as Star-Lord and Nebula in the film, and Pratt was recently spotted in Australia with Hemsworth just prior to the start of principal photography this week. Dave Bautista also seemed to confirm/hint this week that he was preparing to return as Drax in the film. So expect to see most — if not all — of the Guardians in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, and Zoe Saldana in Avengers: Infinity War.
What This Really Means for Thor 4
The Guardians’ inclusion in Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering that Avengers: Endgame ended with Hemsworth’s God of Thunder joining up with the superhero team. However, their involvement is just the latest sign that Thor: Love and Thunder is going to be much bigger than some fans may have initially expected.
After all, Thor and the Guardians aren’t the only notable characters that will be playing a role in the film.
Tessa Thompson is also set to reprise her role as Valkyrie, while Natalie Portman will be making her MCU return as Jane Foster — who it has been said will also become the Mighty Thor, Goddess of Thunder, at one point in the film. Christian Bale will also be making his MCU debut in the film as Gorr the God Butcher, a formidable villain from the Marvel comics who some reports say will have a role to play in the MCU beyond Thor: Love and Thunder.
Chris Hemsworth in Avengers: Infinity War.
The Inverse Analysis — Thor: Love and Thunder won’t be the MCU’s only Phase 4 film to feature characters from multiple Marvel franchises appearing together. It's already confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will appear in Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 (along with a number of other recognizable faces), while Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch will be showing up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
With that being said, the sheer number of characters now confirmed for Thor: Love and Thunder is staggering. It’s looking more and more like it will feature, at the very least, the biggest single MCU crossover of any Phase 4 film. Given what Waititi already did in Thor: Ragnarok too, one can only imagine what he might have in store now that he has this many characters at his disposal.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to hit theaters on May 6th, 2022.
