Disney has officially delayed Thor: Love and Thunder's release by two months. The upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is the fourth in the Thor franchise and the second from director Taika Waititi after the critically acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok. Once Eternals opens on November 5, only Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be ahead of it on the Marvel release calendar.

Thor: Love and Thunder picks up with Chris Hemsworth's character after the events of Avengers: Endgame, which see him appoint Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) as the leader of New Asgard and leave to join the Guardians of the Galaxy on their next adventure. As a result, many of the characters from that franchise are part of the cast list, including Chris Pratt's Star-Lord, Dave Bautista's Drax, and Karen Gillan's Nebula. Additionally, Waititi's film will see the return of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster to the franchise, with Marvel already confirming she will become the superhero Mighty Thor.

Related: Christian Bale's Gorr Is Phase 4's Most Exciting New Villain (Not Kang)

Though MCU fans are excited to see more of the comic banter between Thor and Star-Lord, they will have to wait a little longer than expected, as Disney has moved the Thor: Love and Thunder release date from May 6 to July 8, 2022. The news comes amidst a wave of MCU delays, pushing back the projects Doctor Strange 2, Black Panther 2Captain Marvel 2, and Ant-Man 3 while removing two unnamed Marvel projects from the calendar entirely. The fast-approaching Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home, meanwhile, are staying put at November 5 and December 17 of this year, respectively.

thor 4 love and thunder unexpected story

While little is currently known about the plot of Thor: Love and Thunder, besides Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher reportedly being its primary villain, the film will bring back a number of fan-favorite supporting characters from the previous installment. Waititi will reprise his role as the rock monster Korg, while Jeff Goldblum is returning as Grandmaster, who ended Ragnarok attempting to spin being deposed as the ruler of Sakaar as a victory. Also confirmed are Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth, who had cameo roles in the previous film as Asgardian actors playing Loki, Odin, and Thor, respectively, in a reenactment of Thor: The Dark World.

Any news of MCU delays is sure to be disappointing to the fanbase, especially when this many projects are shifted at once, but having to wait longer for Thor: Love and Thunder will especially sting for some. After being somewhat less well-received than other Marvel film franchises, Waititi seemed to finally crack the ideal tone for a Thor movie by leaning into Hemsworth's skill as a comedic actor, and the character's Avengers appearances alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy cast created anticipation for their feature-length pairing. Luckily, the delay is only a couple of months, and the pandemic era has trained audiences to endure far longer wait times.

Next: The MCU Just Told Thor’s Phase 4 Story Before Love & Thunder

Source: Disney

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