THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER

In the lead-up to the release of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, it sort of felt like this was going to be the end of the road for Chris Hemsworth’s god of thunder. With many of his fellow Avengers out of the action, the character was about to appear in his fourth solo outing, and the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was going through a massive reshuffling with the arrival of a new crop of heroes. But as everyone who saw the summer 2022 blockbuster knows, this wasn’t the case and it looks like Thor will return at some point in the future. When that return will take place, however, is one of the biggest mysteries facing MCU fans at the current moment.

That being said, one of the best parts of fandom is exploring the various possibilities as to when we’ll get to see our favorite superhero characters accept the call to action and return to face new obstacles and supervillains. Below, AMC Theatres will break down some of the places we could possibly see Thor show up in the future and what’s next for the powerful Asgardian.

When We Last Saw Thor

Before we dive into some of the more probable outcomes for Thor’s future, let’s first brush up on what happened when we last saw the God of Thunder. (SPOILERS ahead if you haven’t seen THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER) – In the final moments of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) asks Thor to take care of his recently resurrected daughter Love (India Hemsworth) after the movie’s villain traded his own life for that of his child. With the Asgardian children now safe and under the watchful eye of Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Thor and Love set off to provide assistance and heroism to those in need throughout the galaxy.

Following the movie’s multiple end-credits sequences, text scrolls across the screen saying “Thor Will Return.” But where? Let’s go over the possibilities…

The Return Of The Asgardians Of The Galaxy?

With GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 coming to AMC Theatres on May 5, 2023, the upcoming Marvel movie becomes the first possible place we could see Thor again, especially considering the God of Thunder’s past history with the ragtag group. The Asgardians of the Galaxy, as Thor named the group in the final moments of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, were together at the start of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER before going their separate ways, so there is a shared history that could bring the gang back together.

What would make Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy cross paths once more is anyone’s guess, but with Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) being propped up to be not only the big bad in ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA but also future crossover films, the old friends who saved the universe from Thanos years earlier could find a common enemy once more.

Avengers Assemble, Again?

Although they are still a few years out, AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY and AVENGERS: SECRET WARS will once again serve as sprawling epic crossover events bringing together the biggest, brightest, and baddest characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We don’t yet know which characters will be around when the movies arrive in May 2025 and May 2026, respectively, but we could very well see Thor return like his epic arrival during the Battle of Wakanda in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.

If AVENGERS: SECRET WARS follows a similar plot to the comic book series of the same name, then Thor could very well have some major moments throughout the Marvel Phase 6 movie. How we get from here to there, however, is anyone’s guess.

A Showdown Of The Gods?

The first of two end-credits sequences in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER showed Zeus (Russell Crowe) vowing revenge against the God of Thunder in a scene that shows the king of the Olympians going on a long tangent before sending his son, Hercules (Brett Goldstein), to kill Thor. This leads one to believe that at some point in the future, not only will Thor return, but he’ll have the son of a spiteful god hot on his heels looking to dispense some righteous justice.

This is a long time coming, as Thor and Hercules have been everything from rivals to allies and everything in between in the pages of Marvel Comics for nearly 60 years. When Hercules and Thor will meet up is another mystery, and it’s hard to say if the God of Thunder will receive a fifth solo outing featuring the conflict or if it will be a subplot in any of the upcoming Marvel movies.

Brothers Unite?

And lastly, maybe we don’t see Thor make his return to the MCU on the big screen, but instead one of the Disney+ streaming series, specifically “Loki.” The series, which is slated to return for a second season at some point in mid-2023, could be a perfect place for the God of Mischief’s brother to pop up, even if only for a few minutes.

There are no confirmed plans that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thor will team up for the first time after the God of Thunder watched his brother die at the hands of Thanos in the opening scene of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, but the series did have some major reveals and character introductions throughout its first season, including “He Who Remains” (Jonathan Majors), one of many variants of Kang the Conqueror. That being said, it wouldn’t be outside of the realm of possibility for the Asgardian princes to cross paths once more.

When and where audiences will get to see Thor again is one of the biggest mysteries in the MCU right now, but there are several promising installments in Marvel Phase 5 to hold us over while we wait. In the coming days, weeks, and months, we’ll be able to catch BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 at AMC Theatres nationwide.

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER