After weeks of speculation, Marvel finally released the first teaser trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder. It’s just 90 seconds long, but the clip contains plenty of breathtaking scenes that will make you want to see the film even more than you already do. Add the iconic Guns N’ Roses track, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Jane’s Thor (Natalie Portman) rocking a repaired Mjolnir, and you might not even realize that the first Thor 4 trailer doesn’t feature Gorr (Christian Bale).
That’s quite a surprise considering this particular project. Unlike other MCU stories where Marvel wants to keep particular characters secret, we’ve known who Christian Bale would play in Love and Thunder for weeks. We know he’s Gorr the God Butcher, a well-known villain from the comics. Moreover, we already saw Gorr in Thor 4 toy leaks.
It turns out that the trailer does tease Gorr, and it does so in a way that comic book fans will immediately recognize. We’ll warn you that spoilers follow below before we show you the Gorr teaser in the first Thor 4 trailer.
The Thor 4 trailer delivers a few big reveals
While Gorr is missing from the first Thor: Love and Thunder trailer, there’s no denying that we learn a lot about the state of affairs concerning Thor, the Guardians, and Asgard.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is still dealing with his existential crisis. But “the strongest Avenger” is clearly in a better place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. He got back into shape, but he’s looking to retire and live a peaceful life. He also developed quite a man-crush on his fellow “Asgardian of the Galaxy” Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), which is hilarious.
The Thor 4 trailer also tells us that Thor has been working with the Guardians for quite a while after Endgame. He was involved in some fights before deciding to go for a more peaceful existence. But it’s likely that Gorr, unseen anywhere in the Thor 4 trailer, will disrupt that desire for peace.
Before we get to the Gorr teaser, we’ll also point out the little details concerning and new realms that Love and Thunder will explore. We see that Asgard has changed under the rule of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). It’s now hosting tours from regular humans.
Also, we’re given a look at the beautiful world where Zeus lives. That’s who Russell Crowe will play in Thor 4.
The first teaser closes with two big reveals.
First, we get to see the old Mjolnir reforged. Not only that, but it’s Jane’s “Mighty Thor” who calls for and receives the hammer. She must be worthy.
And just like that, it seems there’s no more room for Gorr in the first Thor 4 trailer.
The trailer delay theories
Marvel achieved something unexpected with its Love and Thunder marketing. The first trailer dropped less than three months before the film’s theatrical debut, which is a record for Marvel.
We discussed in recent weeks the possible reasons why Marvel waited so long.
One theory is that Marvel wanted to focus on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marketing, which premieres on May 6th. Gorr or not, a trailer for a movie like Thor 4 might steal attention from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and for a good reason.
The other reason concerns spoilers. Maybe Love and Thunder is connected to either Multiverse of Madness or Moon Knight in ways we haven’t yet figured out. A trailer might spoil that.
More specifically, a fan theorized that Christian Bale might have a surprise cameo in Moon Knight. Gorr might kill certain gods long before we see him in action in Thor 4.
Gorr the God Butcher teaser
Now that the first trailer dropped, fans of the comics have spotted the shot above. Not only is it incredible, but it actually comes from the comics.
The massive creature we see on the ground isn’t some monster that Thor and Korg just killed. It’s a god-grade being that Gorr butchered.
The trailer doesn’t explain that. But there’s a page in the comics that’s nearly identical. You won’t see Korg in it, but Thor ponders on the death of Falligar, The Behemoth.
Falligar was a friend to Thor, a being who could wrestle black holes. That’s who Gorr just killed. Just like that, the first Thor 4 trailer shows us how incredibly powerful the film’s villain will be. And it did so without showing us Gorr in any battle scenes.
Put differently, the sight of the slain Falligar is exactly the type of event that could pull Thor out of retirement. But we’re just speculating at this point.
Thor: Love and Thunder will premiere on July 8th. This gives Marvel plenty of time to show Gorr in one of the upcoming trailers.
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