Thor: Love And Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8, the first solo film for star Chris Hemsworth since 2017's Thor: Ragnarok and the first appearance of the character since he was seen galivanting off with the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Endgame. Filmmaker Taika Waititi has certainly upped the stakes for such a monumental return, gathering together MCU characters from every corner and introducing one of the most terrifying villains yet: Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale).
But Thor won't have to face his chilling new adversary alone. Besides the Guardians, Thor: Love And Thunder reintroduces Thor's ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) for the first time in nearly a decade, save for a cameo in Endgame. Furthermore, Thor's good friend Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is now King of New Asgard and must decide what kind of ruler she is going to be in the face of such obstacles.
Screen Rant spoke to Thompson about how it feels to be King of New Asgard, and why the title defies traditional gender roles. She also shared some of the hottest tourist locations in town.
Screen Rant: How does it feel to be king?
Tessa Thompson: You know, it feels great.
Great. And...?
Tessa Thompson: [Laughs] I'm really into it. It's funny, because I saw some stuff on the internet of people being very confused. They're like, "King? But she's a woman!" Some people were [kerfuffled].
But it really just had to do with the fact that Thor would have been king. That would have been what he would have taken over [as], and then he didn't want to do the job. Essentially couldn't do the job. He said, "Do this job as a friend," and then that's the title. So, she's still a woman, but she just happens to be king. And I really liked that, because gender is kind of a construct anyway. I think it's cool.
It's fun to be king! Valkyrie really loves being king, mostly, but she just hates paperwork and doesn't like meetings. I think, over the course of the film, she's gonna have to figure out what kind of a king she wants to be. And the truth is, that actually has less to do with the admin work and has more to do with what you impart to your people in the spirit of Asgard. And that she understands that in her bones; she spent thousands of years protecting Asgard as a warrior. It's incredible for her to get to relax and put on a three piece suit and hang out with her people.
One of my favorite things is that New Asgard is a tourist destination. If we take a cruise to New Asgard, what do we do?
Tessa Thompson: Oh, whatever you want. I mean, what are you into? Seafood. Lots of lovely seafood, if you want to have some oysters. if you want to have a nice glass of wine. If you want to have some ice cream, we've opened a new ice cream shop; we have Dippin Dots... Ice cream of the future. If you want to do some shopping, some crafts, some artisanal jams - all sorts of things. You can take a tour. There's live theater.
I think you're the first hero that I can think of to fight in PJs, specifically.
Tessa Thompson: Oh, that's such a nice distinction. Wow, that's so cool. I'm so flattered.
In a Phantom of the Opera way.
Tessa Thompson: Yeah, this is the thing. I think, especially post the couple years that we've all been through, we've learned that there are so many things that we can do in PJs. Really, we can do more than not. We can do most things in PJs, and we should continue to do that.
Fun fact: most Zoom interviews, I'm not wearing pants.
Tessa Thompson: Yeah, that's dangerous sometimes. I've done that, then you get up and you're like, "I'm so sorry."
Thor: Love And Thunder Synopsis
Thor embarks on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced -- a quest for inner peace. However, his retirement gets interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who -- to his surprise -- inexplicably wields his magical hammer. Together, they set out on a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance.
Check out our other interview with Thor: Love And Thunder's dynamic duo Chris Hemsworth & Taika Waititi and the Mighty Thor Natalie Portman, as well as previous interviews with Tessa Thompson for Sylvie's Love and Creed 2.
Thor: Love And Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8.
