Film Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025)

Thor: Love and Thunder

Name: Thor: Love and Thunder
Released: 2022-07-08
Duration: 119 min
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi

"The one is not the only."

Released July 8, 2022 1h 59m ★ Essential

After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor Odinson enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

Watch note

Jane Foster wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor — and dies of cancer after the final battle. Thor adopts Gorr's daughter Love. Love appears in Doomsday trailers. Thor confirmed for Doomsday.

Why It Matters in the MCU

Taika Waititi's second Thor film attempts to replicate Ragnarok's tonal success while telling a more emotionally complicated story — terminal illness, faith, and the silence of gods — and the tonal negotiation doesn't always hold. Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher is the franchise's most visually menacing villain in Phase 4, and the black-and-white Eternity sequence is among the most striking images Waititi has produced. The return of Jane Foster as Mighty Thor is the film's most important narrative move, though the abbreviated execution of her arc leaves the emotional payoff feeling compressed.

Where It Fits in the MCU

Thor: Love and Thunder sits at position 103 of 133 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025) era. It is rated Essential — must-watch for following the main MCU narrative. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.