Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) is a superhero film adapted from Marvel Comics, directed by Taika Waititi and starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. The film is part of the MCU and was released by Marvel Studios. Runtime: 1h 58m. Rated PG-13. Audience rating: 6.2/10.
What is Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) about?
Thor embarks on a soul-searching journey to find inner peace but his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods.
Released in 2022, Thor: Love and Thunder was directed by Taika Waititi and produced under the Marvel Studios banner. The film occupies a significant place within the MCU — contributing to the ongoing narrative and mythology of that cinematic universe.
The film features lead performances from Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, among others, anchoring a story that adapts characters first brought to life in Marvel Comics. Its source material gives the film a foundation rooted in decades of published storytelling, which Waititi and the creative team interpret through a cinematic lens.
The film's 6.2 audience rating indicates a mixed response. Even so, it holds interest as part of the broader MCU catalogue and for how it fits into the lineage of Marvel Comics-based cinema.
What happens in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)? — Full Plot
We open with a prologue. Gorr (Christian Bale) — an alien farmer on a dying desert planet — is praying to his god for water. His daughter dies of dehydration. Gorr's prayers go unanswered. The cosmic deity Rapu eventually arrives and dismisses Gorr's grief as unimportant. Gorr, broken, finds an ancient cursed weapon called the Necrosword — a black metal blade designed to kill gods. Gorr uses the Necrosword to kill Rapu. He vows to murder every god in the universe.
Cut to: present day. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is now traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy. He has been depressed since the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019). He has been fitness-obsessing, eating poorly, and avoiding his emotional life.
Thor receives a distress call. Sif (Jaimie Alexander) — his former love and warrior comrade — is critically wounded by Gorr. The God Butcher is murdering gods across the galaxy. Sif begs Thor to stop him. Thor returns to New Asgard (the Tønsberg community established in Endgame) to assemble a defense team.
In New Asgard, Thor finds Jane Foster — now wielding Mjolnir as the new Mighty Thor. Gorr arrives and kidnaps multiple Asgardian children. Thor, Jane, Valkyrie, and Korg pursue Gorr across cosmic space. The middle act features the team visiting various gods — including Zeus (Russell Crowe) in his Olympus penthouse — seeking allies against Gorr. Zeus is portrayed as a cowardly hedonist who refuses to help. Thor steals Zeus's lightning weapon and uses it to kill (or wound) Zeus.
Gorr leads the team to the Shadow Realm — a cosmic dimension where wishes can be granted by approaching the universe's central wish-granting source. Gorr intends to use the wish to ask the universe to kill all gods at once.
The final battle is in the Shadow Realm. Jane Foster — who has been weakening from her cancer — dies in Thor's arms after delivering the killing blow against Gorr. Gorr, granted his wish in the moment of his daughter's death, asks instead for the wish to bring his daughter back to life. The wish reverses his god-killing legacy.
Thor takes Gorr's daughter as his adopted daughter — a new family member after years of loss. Jane Foster's death is a defining loss for the franchise. The film closes with Thor accepting parenthood as his post-Avengers identity. Thor: Love and Thunder grossed $760 million globally on a $250 million budget — moderate commercial success but well below Ragnarok (2017). Critics responded with widely divided reviews — particularly criticizing the tonal whiplash between Bale's serious Gorr and Waititi's continuing comic register.
Who stars in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)?
Find Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) on Amazon
Watch Thor: Love and Thunder on Prime Video, browse the original Marvel Comics source material, and discover Blu-rays, soundtracks, and related merchandise on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Link clicks do not affect editorial coverage — see our disclaimer.
What are some facts about Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)?
Thor: Love and Thunder released in 2022, placing it within the 2020s era of comic book cinema — a decade that saw superhero films become the dominant force at the global box office.
Directed by Taika Waititi, the film was produced by Marvel Studios and adapts source material from Marvel Comics.
The principal cast features Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, with key supporting roles played by Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson.
The film belongs to MCU — the Marvel Cinematic Universe — the highest-grossing film franchise of all time.
Thor: Love and Thunder carries an audience rating of 6.2 — a middling reception but one that hasn't prevented its cultural footprint.
The Marvel Comics source material for Thor: Love and Thunder has been in continuous publication for decades, giving filmmakers a rich well of storylines, character arcs, and iconography to draw upon.
Modern superhero films like this one use a mix of practical effects and digital VFX, with entire sequences often shot against volume walls or LED stages pioneered by shows like The Mandalorian.
Thor: Love and Thunder is catalogued on Movies on Comics among our collection of 162 comic book films spanning 48 years of cinema — from Richard Donner's 1978 Superman to the present day.
