Thor: Love and Thunder finally released this weekend, reuniting fans with their favorite Asgardian hero. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor handed the power of New Asgard over to Valkyrie and took off with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The MCU's latest film explored what the son of Odin had been up to since then.
Thor’s journey of self-discovery puts him in the cross-hairs of the evil Gorr the God Butcher and reunites him with his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who's now become The Mighty Thor. Love and Thunder delivers shocking reveals and surprises, some of which have major ramifications on the MCU's future.
Major Spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder, now in theaters.
10 Gorr's Motivation Comes From His Daughter's Death
Gorr the God Butcher's goal is to kill all gods. Love and Thunder's opening clearly paints his motivation, revealing his daughter Love died in the middle of a desert. Gorr prayed to the gods for her survival, but it wasn't enough to save her. His pain found release as he came into possession of the Necrosword.
Christian Bale's Gorr is portrayed as a sympathetic villain akin to Thanos. He has good intentions, but his delivery is evil. Gorr is once a devoted follower of the gods, but his daughter's death pushes him past his breaking point, and prompts him to carry out his nefarious quest. After the Necrosword chooses him, Gorr begins eliminating gods left and right, eventually locking him in conflict with Thor.
9 Thor Has Been With The Guardians Of The Galaxy Since Avengers: Endgame
Since the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor has been traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy, answering distress calls and helping those in need. Even after living for over a thousand years, Thor is unsure of who he truly is and yearns to find himself.
Thor transforms his body back to its muscular form, seeking to better himself after Thanos' defeat. It's also hinted Thor hasn't been to Earth since the end of Avengers: Endgame. He returns when Gorr goes after New Asgard, setting the film's plot in motion. It should also be noted that the Guardians are without Gamora, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
8 New Asgard Has Become A Tourist Spot
Since Asgard was destroyed in Thor: Ragnarok, the remaining Asgardians settled on Earth in Norway. As they rebuilt during Avengers: Endgame, New Asgard was revealed to be a thriving community by the time Love and Thunder rolls around. Not only that, it had become a major tourist spot.
New Asgard is now something akin to Avengers Campus at Disneyland. Cruise liners fill the docks, there's an ice cream store modeled after the Infinity Gauntlet, performers reenact events from Thor: Ragnarok (with certain famous actors reprising their roles), and visitors can visit the broken Mjolnir. Valkyrie is still king, but has become disillusioned and bored with the role, missing her adventures on the battlefield.
7 Mjolnir Isn't Helping Jane Like She Thought It Would
It's revealed early on in the film that Jane has stage 4 cancer. After exhausting all of her options to cure herself, she heads to New Asgard and seeks out Mjolnir. Jane feels Mjolnir calling to her, and the broken pieces come back together, turning her into the Mighty Thor.
Jane soon discovers Mjolnir didn't cure her. Instead, it's slowly killing her. The power of Thor blocks Jane's human body from fighting her cancer, and when she drifts between the power, she becomes extremely weak. Despite Thor's protests, Jane continues wielding Mjolnir, having vowed to her mother as a child that she'll never stop fighting.
6 A Unique Love Triangle Forms Between Thor, Mjolnir, And Stormbreaker
Believing Mjolnir was long gone, Thor's shocked to see his old weapon back. Now belonging to The Mighty Thor, Mjolnir doesn't come to him. A few times throughout the film, Thor becomes frustrated while trying to get Mjolnir to respond to him. He even has conversations to coax it away from Jane whenever he has the chance.
This poses a unique problem. Thor's current weapon Stormbreaker gets jealous. Stormbreaker becomes wild at times, and routinely gets between Thor and Mjolnir. This so-called love triangle is played for laughs and is extremely on-brand for director Taika Waititi and his humor.
5 Thor Can Pass The Power Of Thor To Others
A big question going into the film concerned how Jane Foster was deemed worthy to wield Mjolnir. As told in flashbacks, Thor and Jane's relationship started out well before they were driven apart by their separate lives. During happier times, Thor asked Mjolnir to protect Jane. After he said this, a symbol glowed on Mjolnir. Thor had inadvertently given his power to someone else, making them worthy.
At the climax of the film, Thor rescues the Asgardian children Gorr kidnapped. When Gorr summons his monsters, Thor gives the scared children, gives them a pep talk, and makes them worthy of the power of Thor. The children and their weapons, whether they're actual weapons or even stuffed animals, now possess the power of Thor and are able to defeat Gorr's monsters.
4 Thor Becomes An Adoptive Father To Gorr's Daughter
As Gorr reaches Eternity, a cosmic entity beyond time and space that gifts visitors their one wish, it seems that he'll wish all gods to be dead. When Thor appeals to Gorr's humanity and tells him he can give his daughter a life again, Gorr decides to bring Love back from the dead. Before his dying breath, Gorr asks Thor to watch over his daughter.
Some time later, Thor is portrayed taking Love in as his adoptive daughter. They live a somewhat domesticated life, and Love affectionately calls him "Uncle Thor." She's able to wield Mjolnir, and they embark on exciting new journeys together. Korg poetically describes their endeavors as: "the adventures of Love and Thunder."
3 Zeus Recruits Hercules To Kill Thor
Thor, Jane, Valkyrie, and Korg go to Omnipotent City to recruit other gods to join them in defeating Gorr. Their leader Zeus (Russell Crowe) declines, and a fight breaks out after Zeus severely injures Korg. Thor responds by throwing Zeus' lightning bolt through Zeus' chest, seemingly killing him.
In the first post-credits scene, it's revealed Zeus survives the encounter. He angrily speaks about hunting down Thor and recruits his son Hercules, played by Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein. Given how the film ends with Thor living to fight another day, fans can expect Hercules to come looking for Thor at some point in the future.
2 Jane Reaches Valhalla
The film's second post-credits scene is a more touching one. Picking up immediately after Jane dies in Thor's arms when she uses her remaining power to defeat Gorr, Jane arrives at Valhalla's gates. She's greeted by none other than Heimdall, who perished at Thanos' hands at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War.
Having technically died in battle, Jane can finally rest after all the pain she endured between her cancer and using Mjolnir. It's greatly satisfying to see Jane end up in the place where heroes such as Heimdall, Odin, and Frigga are currently residing. All the contributions Jane makes to both humans and Asgardians over the course of her life prove her a true hero, and she even receives her own monument in New Asgard.
1 Thor Will Return
Somewhat surprisingly, the credits end with: "Thor Will Return." Given that Jane passes away at the end of the film, she's currently in the afterlife. But is she truly gone? Only Marvel Studios knows, but it's unclear which Thor they're referring to. The statement possibly hints Thor and Jane will both return in some capacity.
Thor will likely cross paths with rival Hercules, so fans can anticipate an epic clash in the future. In terms of Jane, the comics portray her reaching Valhalla before eventually returning, so they may see Natalie Portman's Mighty Thor in the future as well. Or perhaps Marvel is still figuring it out. Either way, there's a future for Thor in the MCU and this isn't the end of the story.