After years of waiting, Taika Waititi finally blessed us with a Thor: Love and Thunder trailer. Harking back to the campy hair metal joy of Ragnarok, the trailer is a delight. It also introduces us to more than one Thor. Yep, the most beloved contemporary Thor is now in the MCU, Jane Foster. But we have a feeling she won’t be the only other iteration of the hero we see. The trailer teased not only Jane, but a journey of discovery for Thor. It looks like he’ll be revisiting classic comic book looks and iterations from the past as he tries to find himself. That added to the fact that the very fun van-art inspired poster states “The One and Only!” makes us think we’ll get a fair few versions of the heroic God of Thunder and those who have wielded his hammer.
Jane Foster Thor
Let’s start with the real now-confirmed Thor, and likely the only true wielder of Mjolnir in the movie. Reimagined by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman, Jane Foster took on the mantle of Thor in 2014. In the comics, while she battled cancer, the hammer call to her as its worthy wielder. But whenever she held Mjolnir she gained superhuman strength, reverting back to her human body and illness when she was not. While she was Thor, Jane became a part of the Avengers fighting alongside Sam Wilson Captain America, Ms. Marvel, and Miles Morales. That feels like a team we could see come to fruition here. Though whether or not Jane will be struggling with the same illness as comic book counterpart is less clear. Also a big question is whether this is the MCU’s Jane Foster that we already know or one from another universe?
Thunderstrike/Eric Masterson Thor
One of the most obvious comic book references we get in this trailer is to the controversial late ’80s/early ’90s iteration of Thor, Thunderstrike. In those comics by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, a new man took on the Thor mantle. His name was Eric Masterson. After merging with Thor, Eric became intrinsically connected to the hero. He first became an alter-ego and later took on his powers. In the early ’90s, he would adopt the hero name Thunderstrike. All of that is relevant because Thunderstrike’s look definitely inspired the sleeveless vest and jeans Thor wears in the trailer. So while we don’t think Eric Masterson will necessarily show up, his influence is definitely going to be felt as Thor seeks out his truth.
Thor in His Battle Armor
Something that likely got fans of Odinson excited in this trailer were the glimpses of Thor in a new armor.
We can assume that he’ll gain this at some point throughout the movie, likely as he discovers his path and his personal mission. He still has Stormbreaker. That explains how he and Jane can both wield the powers of the gods. But this armor is something we haven’t seen in the MCU yet. It looks to be a reimagining of his famed Battle Armor. The first of three Walt Simonson creations we’ll dig into here—co-created by Sal Buscema—the armor debuted in 1987’s Thor #378. In the comics, Thor designed the armor around an arm cast that Tony Stark created for him, forging the rest himself. The striking gold and blue is instantly recognizable, and toy announcements have revealed that Thor will wear that epic gold helmet.
As for how Thor will get the armor in the movie, well, the MCU loves Tony Stark. For that reason we wouldn’t be surprised to see that aspect of its creation appear somewhere. And MCU Thor could always return to where he forged Stormbreaker to create the rest of his Battle Armor. It also probably means Thor’s hero’s journey will be a successful one. So we can all rest easy.
Romantic Pirate Thor
Sure, this could just be a nod to Taika’s absolutely delightful pirate romance series, Our Flag Means Death. But seeing as this piece is about all the iterations of Thor we could see we’re going to dig into it. This is a nice little nod to Drax’s line about Thor looking like a pirate had a baby with an angel. While Thor has never technically been a pirate in the comics, the character does have some cosmic pirate connections.
In a series of absolutely wild Thor comics from the late ’80s, the God of Thunder battled the Celestials. He took on recognizable names like Arishem—whom we first met on screen in the MCU in Eternals—and came across a planet (named Pangoria) of blue-skinned space pirates. That seems like it could be an inspiration here as we see Thor and the GOTG on a planet of blue-skinned aliens in the trailer.
As for who Thor might be kissing, well, while their blue paisley hair is very definitive, there isn’t a character who immediately jumps out. But the Pangorians did have a leader known as Pegas. While in the comics he’s a male blue-skinned hunk, this could be a reimagining. Or knowing Taika and the humor of his Thor movies, this could be a simple fantasy that Thor’s having. Either way, we’re here for it and can’t wait to see more of this particular iteration of the hero.
Beta Ray Bill
It’s long been rumored that Beta Ray Bill may turn up in the MCU and his arrival here would make a ton of sense. Not only is Thor flying around the cosmos trying to find himself leaving space for a new hero, but Ragnarok teased Bill’s arrival, alluding to his existence on Sakaar. While the trailer didn’t confirm this, we think it’s a pretty likely bet.
So who is Beta Ray Bill? Well, he was first introduced in Thor #337, created by comic book legend Walt Simonson. The ’80s era of Thor saw the god using a human doctor Donald Blake as his vessel on Earth. The medical man had a cane that could transform into Mjolnir. During a mission to space instigated by Nick Fury, Thor dropped Mjolnir, transforming it back into a cane. Beta Ray Bill then picked the cane up. In a hilarious series of events—though not for Thor himself—Odin mistakes Beta Ray Bill in his worthy Thor guise for his son and takes him back to Asgard leaving, Thor alone in space.
That last part does sound rather familiar. Seeing as we’re going to see Thor in space finding himself without the help of Asgard, we wouldn’t be surprised if Beta Ray Bill made an appearance somewhere along the way.
Frog Thor, a.k.a. Throg
Another deep cut Thor the MCU recently confirmed is good old Frog Thor. A blink or you’ll miss it moment in Loki showed the little guy trapped in a jar, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t see a version here. Once again created by Thor legend Walt Simonson, Frog Thor debuted in Thor #364. Transformed into an amphibian by his nefarious brother Loki—something Taika referenced in Ragnarok—Thor must go on an epic adventure to be transformed back. Before that happens, though, he teams up with some goats named Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder—who we see in this trailer pulling Thor’s boat—and turns into the giant six-foot tall Thunder Frog! Thor was eventually turned back into his human form, leaving the Frog Thor mantle open.
In later comics, a new hero would become the core Marvel Universe’s Frog Thor: Simon Walterson. Named after the creator of the original Thor Frog, Simon was a human transformed into a frog known as Puddlegup, who would later wield the power of Frogjolnir. If we do see a version of Frog Thor in this movie—praying to the Norse gods that it happens—it’ll likely be in this form, as another version of Thor to show Odinson he’s not the One and Only.
We’ll be counting down the days until July 8 to see which Thors show up in Love and Thunder.