The first trailer for <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/thor-love-and-thunder-russell-crowe-confirms-cameo-as-he-claims-he-will-play-zeus-1.1209287" target="_blank"><i>Thor: Love & Thunder</i></a> has arrived, with Chris Hemsworth returning as the titular Norse god in his ninth feature for <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/2021/12/30/mcu-2022-all-the-marvel-films-and-shows-expected-in-the-new-year/" target="_blank">Marvel</a>. Written and directed by Taika Waititi, the film looks set to bring the combination of drama, comedy, familiar faces, nostalgia and heart-warming moments the superhero franchise has become known for. It is a direct sequel to 2017's <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/film-review-thor-ragnarok-taika-waititi-puts-the-comic-back-in-comic-book-1.670815" target="_blank"><i>Thor: Ragnarok</i></a><i>.</i> We see Natalie Portman resume her role as Jane Foster, and there is a new character in the shape of Gorr the God Butcher, played by Christian Bale. Thor is known for being a particularly athletic Marvel character, who lost his way — physically — in <i>Avengers: Endgame. </i>However, he's back in shape in <i>Thor: Love & Thunder</i> or, as Korg (Waititi) says, he has gone from “dad bod to God bod”. We see Thor hit the gym, through a fitness montage, taking on battle ropes made of giant chains, doing jumping jacks and going strongman by dragging a spaceship. After playing Batman from 2005 until 2012, Bale has firmly left the DC universe behind and found himself Marvel-side. The transformative actor is playing Gorr the God Butcher, a disillusioned alien who is on a mission to wipe the universe of Marvel gods. While Bale's villain will inevitably carve out his own space in Marvel baddy lore, based on his trailer appearance, he's being compared to Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort. The comparisons are easy to make, with two pale, hooded, serpent-like villains. If the trailer is anything to go by, <i>Thor: Love & Thunder</i> will be packed with laughs. Thor's famed hammer Mjolnir goes to Portman's Jane, not him, making her Mighty Thor and throwing a spanner into the works. “What's it been, like three, four years?” an aloof Jane asks Thor, to which he replies, “Eight years, seven months and six days, give or take.” It's refreshing to see a male character on the romantic back-foot in a Hollywood blockbuster. The pair have a loaded romantic history, which is all brought rushing back, and is drama they have to navigate while saving the universe. Proving that superhero strength is by no means male, Portman appears to be her strongest self in the trailer, with super-defined arm muscles. Australian actor Russell Crowe is set to have a cameo role as Greek god Zeus. Zeus and Thor have a wardrobe mishap, as the former accidentally strips Thor down, one of the many lighthearted moments in the trailer. There is no sign of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in the trailer, but that hasn't stopped fans holding out for a cameo. There have also been questions about other gods who will convene to beat Gorr. We see a fallen Falligar, an ally of Thor's, in the trailer, but no other gods are named. As for other star names in the film, <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> stars Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper are also in the cast. <i>'Thor: Love and Thunder' will be released globally on July 8</i>
