22 Jul – Just last week, it was confirmed that there will be a fourth Thor movie. Over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios finally revealed not only the movie's title but also a few surprising tidbits. ComingSoon.Net reports that firstly, Natalie Portman, who played Dr. Jane Foster in 2011's "Thor" and 2013's "Thor: The Dark World" but was absent in 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok", will be reprising the role for the fourth movie, "Thor: Love and Thunder". Secondly, she will have an alter ego – the female Thor.
The Mighty Thor, to be exact, as confirmed by Taika Waititi. The director explained that the plot is based on Jason Aaron's 2014 comic book, which sees Jane wielding the God of Thunder's powers and magical hammer Mjolnir after Thor loses his abilities. This doesn't mean Chris Hemsworth is completely out of the picture, however, as he will still be returning to play the demigod superhero he's starred as since 2011 up until this year's "Avengers: Endgame".
Some fans have readied themselves for a female Thor, as this theory was already circulating when Hemsworth's Thor was seen passing over his rights to the Asgardian throne to Valkyrie (played by Tessa Thompson, who is also returning for the new Thor movie). Though, of course, fans were expecting to see Valkyrie play the female Thor, so Foster's sudden return was a bit of a curveball. "Thor: Love and Thunder" will be the finale film for the Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Kicking things off for Phase 4 will be the Scarlet Johansson-led "Black Widow" (1 May 2020). Up next is the Chloé Zhao-directed "The Eternals" (6 November 2020), starring Angelina Jolie as Thena, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, and Lia McHugh as Sprite. On the small screen, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprise their respective roles for "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier", which is set after the events of "Avengers: Endgame", debuting on the streaming platform Disney+ in fall 2020. Back to the big screen, Simu Liu is starring as the titular hero in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (12 February 2021), to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Tony Leung will play The REAL Mandarin while Awkwafina's role has yet to be disclosed. Another Disney+ series hits the small screen in spring 2021. As the title "WandaVision" says, it will focus on Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany's Vision. The grown-up version of Monica Rambeau ("Captain Marvel") will be played by Teyonah Parris in the series.
Also in spring 2021, Tom Hiddleston is reprising his Loki role for his own Disney+ series, which will follow the god of mischief's adventures after acquiring the Space Stone in "Avengers: Endgame". The Benedict Cumberbatch-starring sequel "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (7 May 2021) will feature Olsen's Wanda as it connects directly to the "WandaVision" series. In summer 2021, "What If...?" will see Jeffrey Wright lending his voice to The Watcher. The first animated MCU entry will tell "stories that present alternate realities in the Marvel universe." Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye also gets his own eponymous Disney+ series in fall 2021, with Jeremy Renner returning as the hero who will mentor his protege Kate Bishop. And as mentioned earlier, "Thor: Love and Thunder" will wrap up Phase 4 when it opens in North American cinemas on 5 November 2021. Though not part of Phase 4, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced that a "Blade" movie is in the making, with Mahershala Ali set to star as the vampire hunter. Feige confirmed that "Fantastic Four", "Black Panther 2", "Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3", and "Captain Marvel 2" are also in the making, though there are no dates slotted for these yet. There was no mention of "Spider-Man 3" but with the previous two instalments having received rave reviews, this is another movie to be expected in the MCU.