Thor: Love and Thunder is the newest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it is set to hit theaters on July 8th with high expectations from fans. Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are set to return as Thor and Jane Foster, while Christian Bale is set to play the newest villain Gorr The Butcher.
The film had mixed reviews as it debuted to critics last week, but expectations are still high as markets anticipate the film significantly outpacing Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's opening weekend of $130 million. Thanks to a cast full of familiar faces alongside exciting new additions, anticipation should continue to build up to the movie's release.
Love & Other Drugs - Jaimie Alexander
Jamie Alexander has played Lady Sif in the MCU in three movies and the Loki TV show, as well as several other smaller shows and movies over the past decade. But Alexander's first role in a major movie came just one year before Thor when she had an uncredited role in the film Love & Other Drugs.
The film was directed by Edward Zwick, who has a long history of making movies in the historical fiction genre including hits like Blood Diamond. Though it received mixed reviews amongst critics, the film was a success at the box office and has a strong reputation amongst romantic comedy fans.
What We Do In The Shadows - Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi made his MCU debut in Thor: Ragnarok in his role as the character Korg and will be returning to reprise the role in Thor: Love and Thunder. Waititi will also be serving as the director of the film as he did with Ragnarok, and he co-wrote the installment with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
What We Do In The Shadows was a horror-comedy also written and directed by Waititi, and though it had a modest box office return it has since become a huge cult classic. The film was then turned into an acclaimed television show that has been a smash hit, even securing an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2020.
Bridesmaids - Melissa McCarthy
Thor: Love and Thunder will be Melissa McCarthy's first entry into the MCU as she is set to play the character Hela. Her appearance, which is reported to just be a cameo in this film that may set up more for her character, will come alongside her husband Ben Falcone who is also set to make an appearance in the film.
McCarthy had been doing TV work for years before Bridesmaids, But the Judd Apatow-produced comedy vaulted her into the mainstream. She was nominated for Best ing Actress at the Oscars for her role, and she started to build her reputation as a comedic actress which has led to her being one of the most respected comedic leading women working today.
Mars Attacks! - Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman did not appear in Thor: Ragnarok but agreed to appear in Thor: Love and Thunder after a meeting with Waititi. Portman will be reprising her role as Jane Foster, Thor's ex-girlfriend who also takes the name, Mighty Thor.
Though Portman has a prolific and Oscar-winning career, she has been acting since she was a child actor and starred in hit films like Heat and Leon: The Professional when she was young. Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! is another child actor performance from Portman, and is an underappreciated entry in Burton's impressive oeuvre.
The Last Duel - Matt Damon
Matt Damon will be making a cameo in Thor: Love and Thunder to reprise his role as Fake Loki after he made an appearance in Waititi's last Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok. Damon has shown a willingness to take short cameos in comic book films, as he has an uncredited role in Deadpool 2 as well.
Damon continues to be one of the premiere movie stars in Hollywood, and he continued that last year with his work in one of 2021's most underrated films The Last Duel. Working with legendary director Ridley Scott, Damon put in one of the most nuanced lead performances of his career though it largely went unnoticed at its release.
Blackhat - Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth had his breakout role when the original Thor was released in 2011, and Thor: Love and Thunder will be the 11th time that he plays the role within the MCU. Hemsworth has become one of the biggest stars in the world thanks to Thor and he can also be seen in Spiderhead on Netflix, which was just released this month.
Though his career is full of blockbuster hits, one of Hemsworth's best and most underappreciated movies came in Blackhat. The esteemed director has yet to make another movie since, though Hemsworth's performance in the lead role makes it well worth a watch.
Gladiator - Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe is making his first appearance in the MCU with Thor: Love and Thunder, playing the character of Zeus based on the Greek god of the same name. It is not Crowe's first comic book movie appearance, however, as he played the character Jor-El in the DCEU movie Man of Steel.
Crowe's most famous movie appearance came early in his career, however, when he starred in the Oscar-winning film Gladiator in the lead role of Maximus. Crowe won the Best Actor award at the 2001 Oscars for his role in the hit film, and it minted the actor as a bona fide movie star for years to come.
Creed - Tessa Thompson
Tessa Thompson starred in Thor Ragnarok as Valkyrie, the new King of Asgard, and she will be returning to the character for Thor: Love and Thunder. Thompson wanted the character's sexuality to be more present, and both she and Kevin Feige confirmed that Valkyrie's bisexuality would be addressed in Love and Thunder.
But Thompson's breakout as a lead actress in a blockbuster came in 2015 when she starred alongside Michael B. Jordan in Creed, the sixth sequel to Rocky. Creed is one of the best legacy sequels to have come out in the 2010s, with great performances from Thompson, Jordan, and Sylvester Stallone.
The Prestige - Christian Bale
Christian Bale is another actor making his Marvel debut in Thor: Love and Thunder as the famously intense actor will be playing the main villain in the film. Bale is portraying Gorr The God Butcher and says that he has taken inspiration from the iconic movie vampire Nosferatu in preparation for the role.
Bale is no stranger to the superhero genre as he starred in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, but one of his most exciting roles came in another one of Nolan's films. He starred alongside Hugh Jackman in The Prestige, a psychological thriller about magicians that is one of the most rewatchable movies of the 2000s.
Jurassic Park - Sam Neill
Sam Neill made his first MCU appearance in Thor Ragnarok, in a cameo role alongside Matt Damon, and will return to the franchise for Thor: Love and Thunder. The actor is playing an Asgardian actor portraying Thor's father Odin in a stage play, a role that Neill joked left him "baffled."
Neill's most famous role is as the Paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, and the original Jurassic Park is one of the best blockbuster movies in film history. He is reprising his most famous role in the newest Jurassic Park installment Jurassic World Dominion, which is out in theaters now.
