Thor: Love and Thunder releases in theaters this Friday, where audiences will get to see the God of Thunder go up against the God Butcher. However, given the complicated web of the MCU, which even more mimics the comic book medium nowadays, plenty of information will be essential to remind yourselves of before the latest MCU installment releases. With that being said, here are the ten most important things to remember before seeing Thor: Love and Thunder.
Thor and Jane Broke Up
10 Things to Remember Before Seeing Thor: Love and Thunder
Sometime between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Thor: Ragnarok, Thor and Jane broke up. The actual reasons as to why they broke up are unknown, but it may have been because of Jane being busy with work and Thor not always being around, being a superhero and all.
Another possible reason is that the celebrity status on their relationship took a toll. It’s clear that in Thor: Ragnarok, given that a Thor fan was able to walk up and mention Jane, that their relationship went public, which possibly led to the downfall of their bond together. Whatever the reason though, it’ll likely be explained when they are reunited in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Lady Sif Wasn’t in Thor: Ragnarok
10 Things to Remember Before Seeing Thor: Love and Thunder
Lady Sif had been off in other realms when Loki had taken charge of Asgard. Despite being a significant character in the first two Thor movies, the only thing we know about Lady Sif’s whereabouts is that she was apparently banished or sent away at some point by Loki, who was disguised as Odin, most likely out of fear of her discovering his true identity.
Sif has been seen in episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and in a flashback/vision in Loki, so the character has been seen elsewhere. Her absence in Thor: Ragnarok was largely because Sif actress, Jaime Alexander, was busy, but we’ll probably get a more in-depth explanation in Thor: Love and Thunder, which will finally giving us some in-universe answers and not just speculation.
Thor’s Hammer Broke
10 Things to Remember Before Seeing Thor: Love and Thunder
When Odin died, allowing Thor’s sister Hela to return, Thor and Loki were forced into a skirmish with her almost immediately. In an incredible showing of strength, Hela quickly stopped Mjolnir and crushed it with her hand, which of course, stunned Thor and Loki.
The loss of Mjolnir was undoubtedly felt, especially by Thor, as it seriously limited his powers. However, after a reminder from his father in a vision, Thor is the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers, helping Thor realize he could do things without his hammer. Mjolnir’s pieces seem to currently be in Norway, where Hela crushed the hammer. It’s most likely still there because even though it is destroyed, that doesn’t mean that people are now able to pick up the pieces.
All of Thor’s Family is Dead
10 Things to Remember Before Seeing Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor has certainly been through the wringer when it comes to family members. First, his mother Frigga is killed by the Dark Elves in Thor: The Dark World. Then, his father died at the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok, which led to Thor’s half-sister Hela being freed. At the end of Thor: Ragnarok, Thor and Loki finally summon Surtur to defeat and kill Hela.
Last but certainly not least, Thor has had to mourn the death of his adoptive brother multiple times. At the end of both Thor and Thor: The Dark World, Loki managed to trick Thor into believing that he had died. It wasn’t until Loki had sacrificed himself in trying to kill Thanos that the trickster’s death seemed to have stuck. Loki may still be alive in his own series, but it is important to note that this isn’t the same Loki that Thor has been with and that Loki is currently off doing his own thing.
It is also worth mentioning that Thor got to say a final goodbye to his mother in Avengers: Endgame, thanks to time travel. Oh, and of course, it’s also important to remember that Thor’s best friend, Heimdall was also killed by Thanos.
Thor Currently Wields Stormbreaker
10 Things to Remember Before Seeing Thor: Love and Thunder
After the destruction of Mjolnir, Thor needed to find a new weapon. Luckily, the Guardians had saved him and were ready to help. Rocket and Groot traveled with Thor to the star Nidavellir in order to help forge a new weapon to stop Thanos. There they met Eitri, the last of the dwarves after Thanos had massacred them when trying to retrieve the Infinity Gauntlet.