It sounds like you don’t really need to know many details of Marvel Cinematic Universe before going in. Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth Thor film, hits theaters on July 8, which is this Friday. Thor actor Chris Hemsworth says it is a “crazy romantic comedy set in space”.
Maybe you should be prepared with a different kind of knowledge. But wait… Before we get into the best way to watch Love and Thunder.
What happened to Thor before Love and Thunder?
Let’s go through the top takeaways from Marvel movies in that Thor has appeared.
Marvel Studios
The movie was the beginning of the adventures of Thor, the god of thunder.
Key learning points:
Astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) finds Thor when he is exiled on EarthThor leaves his newfound love Jane to defeat Loki on Asgard. Father and deliberately fall into an abyss But psych! Loki shows up at a SHIELD facility, where he takes an interest in the Tesseract, also known as a containment vessel for the Space Stone JAY MAIDMENT; Jay Maidment.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
In Thor 2, Jane travels to Asgard and meets their parents.
Key learning points:
Thor’s mother, Frigga, is fatally stabbed while protecting Jane from the ruler of the Dark Elves. Loki is killed while helping Thor fight the Dark Elves. But again, psych! Loki lives and impersonates his adoptive father, Odin, the king of AsgardThor remains on Earth with Jane until the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Marvel
The first Thor movie was directed by Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Hunt for the Wilderpeople).
Key learning points:
It is revealed that Jane and Thor have broken up. Odin dies of old age. Hela (Cate Blanchett), the god of death and Thor’s sister, is killed in the destruction of Asgard Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) ,one of the warriors sent by Odin to kill Hela, but all her warrior companions died. Valkyrie Now Dealing With PTSD Marvel Studios
Avengers: Infinite War (2019)
Thor briefly teams up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and makes his biggest mistake.
Key learning points:
Loki is killed by Thanos (Josh Brolin). prevent him from using the Infinity Stones and delete half of the universe’s population Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET
The movie introduces us to “Dad Bod” Thor.
Key learning points:
Thor finally avenges Thanos and beheads him when the Avengers locate him on an uninhabited planet. Five years pass, and Thor is an alcoholic, drinking and playing video games in New Asgard on Earth. After helping restore the universe’s population, Thor appoints Valkyrie as the new king of Asgard (she had already done those duties). Thor, who is going through a midlife crisis, joins the Guardians. “It’s time for me to be who I am instead of who I should be.”
And here we find Thor at the beginning of Thor: Love and Thunder. His parents, brother, and sister are dead, and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, the first time in a thousand years that he has no path.
Some advice on watching Thor: Love and Thunder
According to director Taika Waititi, Thor 4 is like “10-year-olds told us what should be in a movie, and we said yes to everything.” He also said, “If you write down all the elements of this movie, it won’t make sense.”
What’s happening here is that this section is an additional introduction to what to expect from Thor: Love and Thunder as a Film (capital “F”).
A word of advice: don’t be the last to watch Thor: Ragnarok, the popular third Thor movie. Let your expectations be free from the influence of great movies that came before.
Here’s another Waititi quote (via Empire) to get you ready:
“It’s almost like it shouldn’t be made. When you walk into a room, say, ‘I want this and this and this.’ “Who’s in it? These people. What are you going to call it? Love and thunder. I mean, you’d never work again. Maybe I won’t work after this.”
