10 Predictions for ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’
Today is finally the day Thor: Love & Thunder is released in UK cinemas, and I am beyond excited. This is my most anticipated Marvel film of the year, and I feel I could write an entire book about how much this film means to me. However, I will exercise restraint. Instead, what I want to do is provide a list of my predictions for the film. As I write this article it’s almost 1:00 am (UK time), I’ve had way too much caffeine today, so before I crash I want to put some words on the page and make good use of this buzz.
Before you continue reading this article there is one very important thing to bear in mind: I have not seen Love & Thunder yet. I have no prior knowledge of this film at all. I’m booked into a screening at 8:00 pm (UK time), so I’ve unfortunately still got a while to wait before I see what Taika Waititi has cooked up for us. I’ve avoided spoilers and leaks, and I’ve even avoided reading any full reviews, so everything you see listed below is sheer speculation on my part. My intention is to have a simple bit of fun before the film is released. Any inevitable crossover with the film itself and any potential spoilers are 100% coincidence.
If we’re all clear, I’ll go through 10 quick predictions for Thor: Love & Thunder. They’re placed in no particular order, and vary in terms of scale and impact. Remember, these are things I think could happen, not necessarily things I want to see happen.
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1. Guardians of the Galaxy are on screen for less than 30 minutes
I know, we’re off to a negative start. However, I think this is a fair assumption to make. They’ve appeared in some trailer footage, sure, but the Guardians actors aren’t appearing on any posters or taking part in promotional interviews, making me think their roles are limited. Plus, we have to remember this is still Thor’s film, so there’s only so much of the spotlight he can share. The Guardians will be around for maybe the first quarter of this film, maximum, and then they’ll disappear so we can see another solo Thor film as expected.
2. This will be separate from other recent MCU projects
I have a feeling this film will stand alone as its own project and won’t crossover with anything else we’ve seen from Marvel on the big or small screen recently. No links to Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In fact I don’t even think we’ll hear the word “multiverse” said in this film. We’re going to be in a completely separate corner of the Marvel universe, and to be honest, we’re all the better for it.
3. Loki won’t appear
I know some fans are hoping for this, but I personally don’t want or need it, or see a successful way for it to be executed. Unless there’s a flashback of some kind, they’re not about to go meddling with the timeline (again) just to make a cheap cameo. As far as Thor is concerned, Loki died when Thanos choked him out. I don’t want to tempt fate or push my luck, but Loki appearing in this film is just as unlikely as someone like Heimdall making an appearance.
4. Thor gets a new look by the end
There’s been a lot of focus on Thor having distinct costumes throughout the various clips released online. There also seems to be a big focus on Thor going through a journey of self-discovery and finding his place in the universe. I have a feeling he will know more about himself by the end of the film, and we’ll potentially see him head off in a new costume to symbolise the start of a new chapter.
5. There’s going to be two post credit scenes
This sounds obvious because it’s Marvel, but having two post credit scenes isn’t guaranteed. Spider-Man: No Way Home only had one post credit scene, Avengers: Endgame had none, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 had about seven.
I think for this film we could see any two of the following:
- A set up for the next Thor film, which will still be about Thor Odinson.
- A tease for Guardians 3, or maybe even the Guardians Holiday Special (depending on which one is scheduled for release first)
- A tease for Black Panther 2 - It’s a stretch, and I’m not sure how they’d connect these two dots, but it’s the next film in the release schedule so it seems plausible.
- Something which connects to Eternals - This is another long shot, but we may see some form of connective tissue forming between the Guardians team and the Eternals, especially considering the emergence of Starfox, the brother of Thanos. I’m not totally sold on this concept, but both Guardians and Eternals are a big part of Marvel’s cosmic corner, so never say never.
Obviously they could throw a complete curve ball and instead have a comedic throwaway post credit scene like Marvel sometimes favour. But if we are seeing some form of link to a future project, it’ll likely be one listed above. I think.
6. Hercules will make his debut
Considering Russell Crowe is starring as Zeus, and we’re going to see some elements of Greek mythology, it would stand to reason this is a good time to introduce Hercules. In terms of who could play the character, your guess is as good as mine, but I just have a feeling it might happen.
7. Jane Foster’s cancer
I have a feeling the trailers for this film have deliberately redacted the footage we’ve seen of Jane Foster and kept her character arc hidden. I think Taika told a cheeky lie when he denied Jane Foster will be depicted with cancer in Love & Thunder. It’s such a big part of the ‘Mighty Thor’ comic books, written masterfully by Jason Aaron, so it would be weird to make Jane Foster pick up the hammer but not tell the full story.
Now, I think there are two ways this could be handled on screen. Either, Jane Foster will be going through cancer treatment as part of the film’s story (much like in the comic books), or there will be reference to Jane having battled cancer in the gap since she and Thor last met. Both options could work well, and it would be a powerful choice for Marvel to explore such important subject matter. It’s something which could elevate the film to something more profound than other comic book films, so I’m intrigued to see if it happens.
8. Jane Foster doesn’t keep the hammer
Speaking of Jane Foster, I have a strange suspicion this may be a one and done story for Jane. I don’t want that to be the case, because Jane Foster’s time as Thor is excellent in the comic books, but I’m not sure it’s being set up on screen with longevity in mind.
Hopefully I’m proven wrong here. I would very much like for this to be the moment where the torch is passed (or the hammer), however I had the same hopes for Hawkeye and I didn’t quite get what I wanted. This prediction is more just me trying to stay level-headed so the disappointment isn’t too crushing if it turns out Jane Foster will only be Thor for this film.
9. Gorr dies
It pains me to say this, and in fact I wrote recently about how I didn’t want this to be the case at all, but I’ve got a funny feeling Gorr might not make it out of this film alive. I would love for them to stick around and to be a bigger villain moving forwards, but I think this could be another ‘single use’ villain for the MCU. I’m sure Christian Bale will give a great performance either way, I just fear it will be a performance we see cut short.
10. Thor Odinson will still be our main Thor by the end
As I eluded to earlier with my comments about Thor getting a new outfit, I’m not convinced this will be Thor’s last ride as some have predicted. I think we could either see two Thors emerge from this, with Jane Foster still wielding Mjölnir and regular Thor holding Stormbreaker, which would be terrific. However, I think it’s more likely that balance will be restored and we’ll move forwards with the same old Thor. I really don’t want this to be the case, because Phase 4 should be about progression and moving on from the old characters.
My ideal ending for this film is either to see both Thors co-exist, or Jane Foster fully taking on the mantle and going solo as Thor. It would be great to see the second option happen, but I am also prepared for Marvel to play it safe and stick with the same white male character.
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So there you have it, 10 predictions for what I think could happen in Thor: Love & Thunder. I have tried to go slightly further afield with these choices, and go beyond what we simply see in the trailers. There wouldn’t be much point in me listing things we know are definitely confirmed, hence this list varies in terms of how likely I think each prediction is. At the very least this has hopefully been a (somewhat) interesting insight into how my mind works.
I’m hoping to revisit this list once I’ve seen the film, and we’re outside the window for spoiler discussions. It’ll be really interesting to see how accurate these predictions are, and to match them against what actually happens in the film. I had a strange talent back in 2019, where I was writing weekly predictions for the final season of Game of Thrones, and it was scary how accurate my predictions were. I don’t think I still possess this talent thankfully, as it’s clear some of the above predictions are not things I want to happen. Only time will tell. For the time being I’ve just got to get through another day at work, and then the long awaited screening can commence.
I hope everyone has a really great time watching Thor: Love & Thunder, and I’m looking forward to the various discussions which take place in the coming weeks!
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