A brand new image from Thor: Love and Thunder shows Chris Hemsworth's Thor standing amidst the destruction of a familiar MCU location. Hemsworth will return to reprise his role as the God of Thunder in the fourth Thor installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi will return for this highly anticipated follow-up, which will also see Natalie Portman reprise her role as Jane Foster, but this time with her own superhero alter ego, The Mighty Thor. Tessa Thompson will also return as Valkyrie, as will the Guardians of the Galaxy, following the events of Avengers: Endgame, which saw Thor decide to join them on their galactic voyage.
Love and Thunder will introduce audiences to the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher, a heavy hitter in the comics who is set to be brought to the big screen by Christian Bale. While the recent Love and Thunder trailer elected to keep Gorr under wraps for now, the teaser did offer a few glimpses at some of the potential the fall-out of his destruction. Following the recent release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Marvel have now shifted their promotional efforts solely onto this next upcoming release, and though it is set to hit screens just under two months, very little is known about how the events of Love and Thunder will unfold.
Now, an exclusive new still from Love and Thunder gives audiences a fresh look at Hemsworth's return as Thor wielding his powerful weapon, Stormbreaker. The image was released by EW as part of its summer preview, and shows Thor in his full battle suit as he stands amongst destruction with a burning building in the background. The falling city around him appears to be the familiar MCU location of New Asgard, which has been attacked. Check out the image below.
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor's decision to join the Guardians of the Galaxy meant that New Asgard required a replacement leader. Hemsworth's hero chose Valkyrie for the job, and she took over as the new "King of Asgard." Since the end of the Infinity Saga, the fate of the city has remained unknown, though the first Love & Thunder trailer revealed Valkyrie's return as the hero was shown sitting at the head of a table filled with Asgardian bureaucrats. Given Love & Thunder's storyline is still shrouded in mystery, it's unclear how New Asgard may find itself in the disastrous state depicted in this new image, but it is very likely to be the result of an attack by Gorr on his God-destroying mission.
As Love and Thunder's theatrical release rapidly approaches, audiences are hoping that more official material will be released in the coming weeks. As well as providing another glimpse at New Asgard, this exciting new look at Thor seemingly offers another angle of a scene that revealed Portman's return as Mighty Thor. In true Marvel style, the image still offers very little in the way of what the context of this scene may be, but perhaps Jane Foster has come to help the New Asgardians defend themselves against this attack. Thankfully, there isn't long to go until audiences find out, as Thor: Love and Thunder hits theatres on July 8.
Source: EW
