Which MCU gods will appear in Thor: Love and Thunder? Perhaps more than we realized, as a handful of classic Marvel characters appear immortalized in the most recent trailer – you might just not have seen them on a first watch.
Appearing during a scene that depicts Jane Foster harnessing the power of lightning, several major Marvel entities – most of which have yet to make their MCU debut – were spotted by users over on Reddit.
A quick pause of the trailer near the end seems to show Lady Death, Uatu The Watcher, The Living Tribunal, Eon, and Eternity cast as statues surrounding Jane Foster. Whether these are little nods to comic book fans or a hint to the god-killing antics of the upcoming fourth Thor film is currently unknown.
If you're interested in who all these important-looking figures might be, we have a quick rundown below:
Based on the personification of death, Lady Death was born along with the universe itself.
As a non-corporeal being, she has no true physical form but has appeared throughout the comic books – most notably to Thanos, who became obsessed with appeasing her. First appearing to him as a child, Lady Death became his confidant… though some have speculated that the mad titan may have been seeing things. Nevertheless, his insatiable blood lust comes from the desire to appease his mistress – proving his love and devotion by slaughtering his way across the universe.
That makes Lady Death a force to be reckoned with, although she'd seemingly have to work without the help of Thanos now that he's been killed more than once in the MCU.
Eon is a quasi-physical entity believed to be responsible for numerous phenomena on Earth. He monitors all life across the universe, paying special attention to those with immense power. He considers humans to have immense importance to the cosmic balance of the universe and believes that humans are destined to evolve into super beings in a “golden age” of humanity.
Appointing a Protector of the Universe, he chose the original Captain Marvel to combat the increasing menace of Thanos. Quite how he could fit into the MCU remains to be seen… but with a statue in his honor, it’s looking good for Captain Marvel, at least.
Another being created alongside the universe, Eternity is pretty impressive as far as gods go.
He’s essentially the collective consciousness of every living being in the entire universe. He is everything, and everything is him. As such, he has control over every living being in the entire universe with the exception of The Living Tribunal (more on that below).
Unlike Death, Eternity tends not to take an active interest in the dealings of the universe, but instead is often the target of attacks from those who wish to wield his power. This usually doesn’t come to much – Eternity is a being of great power and is able to deflect attacks without regard. But there are occasions when he needs a bit of help… I can’t help thinking that a fight with Gorr the God Butcher could be one of those times.
Uatu the Watcher recently made his debut in Marvel’s What if…? where he helped Earth’s Mightiest Heroes overcome the multiversal threat of Ultron.
However, he’s usually depicted as a universal constant – unphased by the trials and tribulations of the universe. Billions of years ago, the extraterrestrial race known as The Watchers decided it was their duty to help lesser races… but when it all went wrong they adopted a new code that prohibit Watchers from interfering.
Their task, instead, is to merely observe and record the lives of other races – but as you’ve seen in his recent TV appearance, Uatu is sometimes tempted to give humanity a helping hand.
An all-powerful being, the Living Tribunal has existed alongside the multiverse for eternity. Even beings such as Death, Eternity, and Eon are subject to the Living Tribunal’s authority – as such, he’s one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, serving only the One-Above-All.
The Living Tribunal is often depicted as a three-headed humanoid who judges the unworthy – an impartial being who acts only in the interest of the universe. At one point, the Living Tribunal was set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War but was cut, but seemingly made a tiny appearance in the background of Doctor Strange 2.
How do these god-like beings fit into Thor: Love and Thunder? At the moment, that’s anyone’s guess. But based on the film’s official synopsis, it looks as though they could be in trouble.
“The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods.”
“To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.”
Whether or not the old gods will take on Gorr the God Butcher remains to be seen. But it looks as though Thor and Jane are going to have their hands full.
Thor: Love and Thunder stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, and Russel Crowe. Taika Waititi directed the film based on a script he co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Continue reading...
Appearing during a scene that depicts Jane Foster harnessing the power of lightning, several major Marvel entities – most of which have yet to make their MCU debut – were spotted by users over on Reddit.
A quick pause of the trailer near the end seems to show Lady Death, Uatu The Watcher, The Living Tribunal, Eon, and Eternity cast as statues surrounding Jane Foster. Whether these are little nods to comic book fans or a hint to the god-killing antics of the upcoming fourth Thor film is currently unknown.
If you're interested in who all these important-looking figures might be, we have a quick rundown below:
Lady Death
Based on the personification of death, Lady Death was born along with the universe itself.
As a non-corporeal being, she has no true physical form but has appeared throughout the comic books – most notably to Thanos, who became obsessed with appeasing her. First appearing to him as a child, Lady Death became his confidant… though some have speculated that the mad titan may have been seeing things. Nevertheless, his insatiable blood lust comes from the desire to appease his mistress – proving his love and devotion by slaughtering his way across the universe.
That makes Lady Death a force to be reckoned with, although she'd seemingly have to work without the help of Thanos now that he's been killed more than once in the MCU.
Eon
Eon is a quasi-physical entity believed to be responsible for numerous phenomena on Earth. He monitors all life across the universe, paying special attention to those with immense power. He considers humans to have immense importance to the cosmic balance of the universe and believes that humans are destined to evolve into super beings in a “golden age” of humanity.
Appointing a Protector of the Universe, he chose the original Captain Marvel to combat the increasing menace of Thanos. Quite how he could fit into the MCU remains to be seen… but with a statue in his honor, it’s looking good for Captain Marvel, at least.
Eternity
Another being created alongside the universe, Eternity is pretty impressive as far as gods go.
He’s essentially the collective consciousness of every living being in the entire universe. He is everything, and everything is him. As such, he has control over every living being in the entire universe with the exception of The Living Tribunal (more on that below).
Unlike Death, Eternity tends not to take an active interest in the dealings of the universe, but instead is often the target of attacks from those who wish to wield his power. This usually doesn’t come to much – Eternity is a being of great power and is able to deflect attacks without regard. But there are occasions when he needs a bit of help… I can’t help thinking that a fight with Gorr the God Butcher could be one of those times.
The Watcher
Uatu the Watcher recently made his debut in Marvel’s What if…? where he helped Earth’s Mightiest Heroes overcome the multiversal threat of Ultron.
However, he’s usually depicted as a universal constant – unphased by the trials and tribulations of the universe. Billions of years ago, the extraterrestrial race known as The Watchers decided it was their duty to help lesser races… but when it all went wrong they adopted a new code that prohibit Watchers from interfering.
Their task, instead, is to merely observe and record the lives of other races – but as you’ve seen in his recent TV appearance, Uatu is sometimes tempted to give humanity a helping hand.
The Living Tribunal
An all-powerful being, the Living Tribunal has existed alongside the multiverse for eternity. Even beings such as Death, Eternity, and Eon are subject to the Living Tribunal’s authority – as such, he’s one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, serving only the One-Above-All.
The Living Tribunal is often depicted as a three-headed humanoid who judges the unworthy – an impartial being who acts only in the interest of the universe. At one point, the Living Tribunal was set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War but was cut, but seemingly made a tiny appearance in the background of Doctor Strange 2.
How do these god-like beings fit into Thor: Love and Thunder? At the moment, that’s anyone’s guess. But based on the film’s official synopsis, it looks as though they could be in trouble.
“The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods.”
“To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.”
Whether or not the old gods will take on Gorr the God Butcher remains to be seen. But it looks as though Thor and Jane are going to have their hands full.
Thor: Love and Thunder stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, and Russel Crowe. Taika Waititi directed the film based on a script he co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Continue reading...