New ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ synopsis offers fresh story details

At long last, the first teaser trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder thundered its way online this Monday morning, finally giving Marvel lovers a glimpse at the much-anticipated follow-up to both Thor: Ragnarok and the Asgardian god’s arc in Avengers: Endgame. At only 90 seconds in length, the trailer didn’t give too much away and left fans teeming with questions about what we can expect from Thor’s fourth solo outing.

Well, at least this official synopsis helps answer a few of them. Following the release of the trailer, Marvel Studios has dropped this illuminating story description which reveals the shape of the film’s plot for the first time and indicates how the ensemble cast of friends and foes who’ll be joining Chris Hemsworth’s hero in Taika Waititi’s movie will fit into the narrative. Here’s how it goes:

“The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.”

First of all, this synopsis reminds us that Gorr the God Butcher will be the main villain of the piece, with The Dark Knight‘s Christian Bale leaving DC behind him to switch over to the Marvel universe. Cate Blanchett’s Hela in Ragnarok stands as one of the very best villains in the MCU, so Bale has his work cut out for him in succeeding her as Thor’s next nemesis. But, by the sounds of it, Gorr’s backstory and origins will be a big part of the story, so that’s encouraging.

Someone who did show up in the trailer, albeit at the very end, was Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who has now become the Mighty Thor herself after apparently becoming worthy enough to wield Mjolnir. Interestingly, the synopsis avoids clarifying how this came to be, so we’ll have to keep on guessing about that. That being said, the comics tell us it’ll be connected with Jane’s struggle with cancer, which should lend Love and Thunder some dramatic weight.

Thor: Love and Thunder strikes cinemas this summer on July 8.