Thor 4 is here, returning Taika Waititi to the MCU packed full of all the '80s anthems and absurd jokes you've no doubt
Thor: Love and Thunder has come crashing into theaters, making massive waves at the box office as Marvel's fifth biggest opening in its decade-long history. And though your mileage may vary on where it falls in your personal ranking of Thor movies, it is undeniably packed full of all the Easter eggs, nods, and jokes referencing both Marvel Comics and the MCU at large you'd probably expect. This is a Taika Waititi movie, after all, and it never misses an opportunity for a reference or a punchline.
But more than just jokes, there are also some major moves for the rest of Phase 4 tucked into all the neon-soaked wackiness and '80s dad rock songs. We've got some new characters, new existential concepts, and new magical relics to deal with, all of which could impact Phase 4 moving forward in ways unknown. And, with no trailer out for the MCU's next movie, Black Panther Wakanda Forever (due out in November), the future is as mysterious as it ever was.
So, with this in mind, let's take a look at Love and Thunder's biggest and best Easter eggs, and start hazarding some guesses about where they might be headed. As always, we get into major spoilers here, so if you didn't have time to see the movie over the weekend, hit that back button and come back later.
1.) Gorr's origin
A lot of Gorr's arc was changed or modified for Love and Thunder--but much of it also remained the same from the comics. The most specific and obvious example of this is his origin story (his Gorr-igin, if you will), wherein a god presiding over his planet refused to answer his people's plight, resulting in the death of his child.
2.) The Necrosword
We don't learn much about the Necrosword in this movie--just that it's a legendary artifact that can kill gods but also saps the wielder of its lifeforce, slowly driving them mad while killing them. In the comics, the Necrosword is actually directly connected to the origins and alien species that Venom is a part of--no, really. It's unclear if that connection will come up in the MCU, though.
3.) Jane Fonda
Korg just can't seem to remember Jane's name, and instead keeps calling her Jane Fonda. Apparently Korg is a fan of '80s Hollywood.
4.) Jane's cancer
Another element lifted from the comics is Jane's terminal cancer. In the books, becoming the Mighty Thor prolongs her life in lieu of a cure.
5.) Foster Theory
Jane obviously hasn't been idle while she hasn't been on screen. She's written a famous astrophysics book and created her very own theory of inter-dimensional travel.
6.) Event Horizon and Interstellar
The two movies Jane uses to try explaining space and time travel are cult classic horror movie Event Horizon, where Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill are sent to a hell dimension on a space station, and Interstellar, Chris Nolan's loved-and-loathed brainy sci-fi movie. The kid hasn't seen either of them.
7.) Selvig and Darcy
Supporting characters Eric Selvig and Darcy Lewis are still bopping around, though neither of them make reference to what they've been doing in the intervening time. Darcy was last seen in WandaVision while Selvig hasn't had any meaningful on-screen moments since Thor's side quest in Age of Ultron. .
8.) Old Spice
Remember those meme commercials? Apparently they're still relevant in the MCU--Valkyrie has a brand deal.
9.) The Play
In the tradition of Thor Ragnarok, the Asgardian community theater is back to produce the most ridiculous version of real-world events. Reprising their roles are Sam Neill as Odin, Matt Damon as Loki, and Luke Hemsworth as Thor. Melissa McCarthy has signed on for Hela.
10.) Sif
Jamie Alexander is back as Sif, who was last seen in a cameo role in the Loki TV show. Here, it's revealed that she's been galavanting around space rather than hanging in New Asgard on Earth.
11.) Lots and lots of gods
The Omnipotent City is full of gods of all kids--some familiar, like Zeus--and others considerably more alien. There also happens to be a handful of Celestials hanging out, which were explored in depth in The Eternals.
12.) Miek
Korg's weird pal Miek is around, despite nearly dying, and is acting within the government of New Asgard.
13.) RIP Loki
As far as Thor knows, Loki is still dead--not galavanting around time and space with the TVA. He's even got a full back tattoo in honor of his departed brother, featuring his helmet and a massive "RIP Loki" in script. He definitely didn't have these tattoos in Endgame, so we can only assume he got them after leaving Earth.
14.) The Shadow Realm
The Shadow Realm--the stylish looking desaturated place where Gorr derives his abilities (or, more specifically, where his sword derives its abilities) is based on a plane of existence in Marvel Comics. The comic book Shadow Realm has been around for decades but was only recently retconned into having ties to the Necrosword--though even then, in the comics the Shadow Realm is a lot more literal, and exists mostly in two-dimensions like actual shadows, not through the far-flung reaches of space.
15.) Eternity
Eternity winds up empowering Gorr's daughter via her resurrection, and seemingly destroying itself in the process. This is all unique to the MCU--in the comics, Eternity is an abstract entity that acts as the literal personification of time. It's pretty scary to think about a kid with powers that strong and that unknowable running around, so we can assume the idea has been nerfed at least somewhat here, but we won't know until Love returns in some form or another.
16.) Hercules
Our latest new MCU character for Phase 4 is Hercules, played by Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein. Much like Thor himself, Hercules is a mythological figure borrowed and re-created by Marvel Comics, dating all the way back to the mid-'60s. He has a whole slew of god-like abilities and used to be the star of a meme where he was giving a goofy smile and a thumbs up. It'll probably be a while before we see MCU Herc crack a smile, though--Goldstein is pretty famous for being recalcitrant.
17.) Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder
They may not be actually named within the movie itself, but Thor's screaming goats are from the comics--and they aren't even recent inventions. They date all the way back to the '70s. They're a lot less silly in the books, though, and they weren't gifts from a passive aggressive alien race either.
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