Following the climactic conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel's Trinity was largely at the end of their story... or so it appeared. With Iron Man's death and Cap's retirement, fans were expecting Thor to bow out of the MCU as well, but it was quickly revealed that Chris Hemsworth was there to stay as he set out with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Plans for a fourth Thor film were also rumored after the success of Thor: Ragnarok, but nobody was expecting the reveal that Thor: Love and Thunder would see the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and that she would be wielding Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. So to get ready for Taika Waititi's return to the Thor franchise, we are taking a look at 10 comics to read before Thor: Love and Thunder.

10 UNWORTHY THOR

Unworthy Thor Header

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In the comics, Thor became unworthy of Mjolnir during the Original Sin storyline, and Mjolnir was left abandoned on the moon where Thor dropped it. While Mjolnir's story continued elsewhere, Thor became known as Odinson, and his adventures as the Unworthy Thor continued.

Jason Aaron and Olivier Coipel's Unworthy Thor explores Odinson's quest to again become worthy while also exploring the presence of another Mjolnir, a powerful hammer leftover from the Ultimate Universe. Unworthy Thor is a great companion piece to Jane Foster's run as the Mighty Thor and might play a role in Love and Thunder's story.

9 GODDESS OF THUNDER

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When the Mighty Thor was first introduced during Jason Aaron's run on Thor, her identity was still a mystery to both readers and the rest of the Marvel Universe. When Mjolnir is taken from its spot on the moon by an unknown party and a new female Thor shows up to battle Frost Giants on Earth, Odinson is obviously left to solve who wields his former weapon.

The "Goddess of Thunder" storyline takes readers through a who's who of Thor's female allies as he attempts to uncover the truth behind who now wields Mjolnir, and is likely going to play a role in Love and Thunder, though given fans knowledge of Jane Foster's role in the storyline, the mystery might not be as prevalent in theaters as it was in the comics.

8 MIGHTY THOR

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Once the secret was out and Jane Foster stood revealed as the new Thor, the series was rebranded as Mighty Thor and Jason Aaron and Russel Dauterman began to explore Jane's heroic adventures both on Earth and in Asgard.

Of course, there was a darker side to Foster's transformation into the Mighty Thor, as it was revealed that her time as Thor was undoing the healing effects of the chemotherapy she needed to deal with cancer that was threatening her body. It remains to be seen if her battle with cancer will make it's way on to the big screen, though it made for some powerful moments in the comic storyline.

7 ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS

Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and Jane Foster the Mighty Thor

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Jane Foster's time as the Mighty Thor wasn't restricted to her own comic, as she also joined with the All-New, All-Different Avengers. The team's line-up was made up of old heroes, new heroes, and newer versions of old heroes.

Not only was Jane Foster on the team as the Mighty Thor, but she was joined there by Sam Wilson as the new Captain America. The two represented a new direction for Marvel Comics at the time, and they even began a short-lived relationship after they became close as partners on the team.

6 GORR THE GOD BUTCHER

Thor fighting against Gorr in the comic, Thor: God of Thunder

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Now, while there is a lot of source material to check out in regards to Jane Foster's role as the Mighty Thor and Odinson's time as the Unworthy Thor, there has been a lot of speculation about the villains we might see in Thor: Love and Thunder.

While fans are hoping to see characters like Enchantress finally make her appearance in the MCU, the dangerous threat of Gorr the God Butcher may be the most likely villain to appear in the film. Not only is Gorr revealed to be responsible for Thor becoming unworthy but he is one of the few villains who can go toe-to-toe with the Thunder God.

5 LEAGUE OF REALMS

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Jason Aaron's run on Thor introduced a number of interesting additions to the mythology as he moved the characters, and the Marvel Universe, towards The War of the Realms. One of those creations was the League of Realms, which featured Thor alongside representatives of the other peaceful Realms to defend their worlds and investigate the Dark Elf Malekith.

When Jane Foster took over as the Mighty Thor, she also took Thor's position on the League of Realms and served as a representative of both Asgard and Midgard (Earth). Her time with the League showcases some of the best of Jane Foster and would introduce a few more fantastic characters to the MCU.

4 DEATH OF THE MIGHTY THOR

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Once Jane Foster stood revealed as the Mighty Thor and her battle with cancer took center stage, there was no denying that her time was running out. Thankfully Aaron and Dauterman did the character justice during the "Death of the Mighty Thor" storyline, which serves as the highpoint and culmination of Aaron's entire run.

Not only is Jane Foster dealing with her own mortal end, but she is also tasked with facing the powerful Mangog as it attempts to again destroy Asgard and the Asgardians. This run featured a beautiful sendoff for Foster that led to her eventual turn as the current comic Valkyrie and may play a huge role in Thor: Love and Thunder.

3 BETA RAY BILL

Beta Ray Bill with Stormbreaker

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Fans have been waiting for years to see another wielder of Mjolnir make their appearance in the MCU, though after three Thor films all that we have seen of Beta Ray Bill is his visage on the Grandmaster's Tower of Champions on Sakaar, seen in Taiki Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok.

Walt Simonson created Beta Ray Bill and has been featured in Marvel's Visionaries collections, which gathers some of the best moments of his monumental work with the Thunder God. Beta Ray Bill and pretty much every other great Thor creation can be found in the Thor Visionaries: Walt Simonson collection, which will prepare you for any future Thor movie, ever.

2 THE DEVIANTS SAGA

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Of course, this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe and "it's all connected," which means we do have to look at some of the other films in Phase 4 and beyond for possible storylines we might see in Thor: Love and Thunder that will connect to the next saga of the MCU. The Eternals will introduce a new race of powerful heroes to the MCU, but those heroes come with established villains, a genetic offshoot of their race known as the Deviants.

In the comics, following the destruction of Asgard, Thor is forced to stop the Deviants from using a powerful weapon discovered beneath Asgard, which could prove to be an interesting connection to the Eternals film and a continuation of the events of Ragnarok.

1 THE KORVAC SAGA

All the Avengers fighting Korvac in the Korvac Saga

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Now, we still don't know how Thor's adventure with the Guardians of the Galaxy ties into Thor: Love and Thunder, or if that will feature more in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, which will presumably be a part of Phase Five.

At any rate, a huge event that brought Thor (and the Avengers) together with the original Guardians of the Galaxy was the Korvac Saga, which saw another reality-destroying power threated the entire galaxy. The storyline might be a little too similar to the "Infinity Saga" to see time in Thor: Love and Thunder, but still features characters we might be seeing more of in the future.

NEXT: The Ultimate Marvel Villain Gift Guide

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