Thor: Love and Thunder sets a cheeky Marvel Cinematic Universe record following the reveal of its official age rating.
According to FilmRatings.com, Thor's latest big-screen adventure sports the expected PG-13 restriction, a staple of the Marvel Studios' superhero franchise. Yet the conditions behind the rating are relatively uncommon for the MCU as Love and Thunder sports "intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language, some suggestive material and partial nudity." Many installments in the ever-growing universe include intense violence and action but the fourth Thor movie will be the first to feature partial nudity.
While the source of the nudity remains unknown at the time of writing, given Love and Thunder's trailers, it seems likely that it relates to star Chris Hemsworth's exposed butt. The scene in question sees Russell Crowe's Zeus magically flicking off Thor's clothes, exposing him to an enthralled crowd of onlookers. While the footage used in promotional material includes a blurring effect over the God of Thunder's nether regions, fans suspect that will not be the case in the theatrical cut of the movie.
Thor: Love and Thunder once again sees Hemsworth step into the role of the titular Odinson. Feeling disgruntled with his life as a superhero following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thor embarks on a quest of self-discovery to find out what he really wants from his existence. On his journey, he'll need to contend with Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), a sinister villain who seeks to slaughter every deity in the universe using the power of All-Black the Necrosword.
While Gorr poses a new threat to Thor, the God of Thunder will be supported by a cast of return faces. Fans can expect to see King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Korg (Taika Waititi) return alongside Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who sports newfound powers as she wields the reforged Mjolnir. Portman last featured as the live-action version of Jane Foster in 2013's Thor: The Dark World.
Speaking about how he was able to recruit Portman back into the MCU, director Waititi explained that he wanted to do something fun with her role. "I had to just talk to her about the fact that I wanted to change that character," Waititi said. "Just like we'd changed Thor's character for Ragnarok and to give her a bit more license to be adventurous and fun because Natalie's a really funny person."
Thor: Love and Thunder crashes into theaters on July 8.
Source: FilmRatings.com