Yesterday the long-awaited first trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder were released. The advance has given us much to talk about and it may not be what some expected, but it shows that the film is going to be much more than the frenetic succession of scenes and abundant CGI that it has shown us.
Written and directed by Taika Waititi on the heels of Our Flag Means Death, Thor: Love and Thunder brings back Chris Hemsworth in the title role alongside a spectacular Natalie Portman as Jane Foster / The Mighty Thor. We have also been able to take a look at Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Russel Crowe in the role of Zeus. There is still no trace of Christian Bale in his role as Gorr, the butcher of the gods, but of his works. These are the details and references that we have hunted on the fly.
the classic suit
The trailer begins with Thor’s voiceover advancing part of his spiritual journey. On screen we see the character at different ages running through a forest. The scene already sets the tone of comedy, but also in it we can see a complete homage to the original costume from the comics, yellow leggings, belt and helmet with wings included. This is the original costume that was adapted for his film debut.
Meditating under Yggdrasil
We continue with Thor meditating under a tree with colored ribbons tied to its branches and under a system of two suns (which already confirms that it is not on Earth). The wishing tree is common to many cultures, but the image feels inspired by Hindu tradition and almost looks like a Banyan tree. Perhaps it could even be a reference to Yggdrasil, the Norse tree of life from which the entire universe hangs. It almost feels like we’re looking at Marvel’s take on Eat, Drink, Love.
training
Marvel doesn’t learn. It’s true that Thor is a god in top form and Chris Hemsworth wasn’t hired precisely because he was in bad shape, but I don’t know if this montage shows us the Asgardian’s efforts to get his six-pack back is entirely accurate, especially after the Fatphobia attack that some had when seeing Thor in Endgame. It was obvious that Hemsworth was going to take off the heavy prosthetic suit that he wore in that movie and recover all the splendor of it, but they could have skipped the explanation of the training. We didn’t need it.
A giant?
The chains, by the way, belong to a huge chained skeleton that honestly looks a bit ridiculous. It’s true that we expect more from Marvel with each new movie, but the studio spends millions of dollars on CGI and at least I was hoping I’d be impressed. There are no clues as to who the skeleton belongs to. The setting is too tropical for Ymir and Surtur, to our knowledge, still has his skull and doesn’t look anything like this kind of discarded beta of an Elden Ring boss. It certainly doesn’t seem like something that should have passed the quality cut for a blockbuster like this.
Look, Mom. It’s me
Thor strips off his robes and reveals his new rock god outfit in front of a blue alien species that the Guardians of the Galaxy appear to be protecting. The landscape looks similar to where we saw the tree. Thor looks like something out of a Guns N’ Roses video.
New suit for Korg
In one of the most brilliant CGI decisions, I’ve seen lately, Korg sports red and blue harlequin pants with gold undertones and white fur-lined boots. He loves me. I must personally thank Taika Waititi for how little she cares what n will say in her characters.
flying goats
The trailer gives us our first look at Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder by their English names). These are the two legendary goats that pull Thor’s flying chariot in Norse mythology (plus a ship in this case). The ship departs from New Asgard in this scene, but it’s still too early to tell if the appearance is a simple cameo or there will be more goats in the film.
The Olympus
It sounds like we’re looking at Marvel’s Olympus, but the hanging garden aesthetic feels more like Angkor Wat than Parthenon, so it’s hard to tell just yet. It is not that Marvel is the most respectful of history or mythology, but some buildings more typical of Greco-Roman architecture are missing.
Pirates
Thor kisses a space pirate-looking woman with blue hair that we know absolutely nothing about. It seems unlikely that Marvel is going to bring in a new romantic interest like that, right off the bat, but it certainly isn’t Valkyrie.
Zeus and a lot of gold
The appearance of Zeus, lightning in hand and with a golden armor that seems to come out of cosplay, seems more comical than anything else. In front of him is a CGI monstrosity that looks like some kind of senate or forum, although again it looks more like a Mughal palace than a Greek forum. Russel Crowe wears divine bracelets and is surrounded by robed beauties who again take us out of the scene more than they put us in it.
A scene nailed to the one drawn by Esad Ribíc
Except for the presence of Korg, this image is copied from a vignette drawn by Esad Ribíc for issue 3 of Thor published in 2012 (you can see the original here ). The comic belongs to the butcher of gods story arc, so the movie won’t be far behind. We don’t know if Ribíc has received credit or money for this, although considering Marvel’s previous track record in this regard he’d bet no.
the valkyrie queen
Valkyrie only appears for a second, but everything indicates that she does not like her new position as queen of Asgard at all. She judging by the cruise ships moored in the port of New Asgard she has good reason for it. The new refuge of the Asgardians has become a tourist destination.
the mighty thor
We finally reached the moment of the trailer that many of us were waiting for, the first official look at the Mighty Thor. We’d like to see more of Jane Foster/Thor, but this will have to do for now. For some reason, there is also a car in the background. Thor: Love and Thunder open in theaters on July 8.
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