The Marvel Cinematic Universe occasionally comes under criticism for its interconnected stories, many crossovers and that general feeling that you can’t watch one without having seen others. However, that doesn’t mean that Marvel Studios is going to take a step back from continuing to mix and match their heroes, as a new piece of information about the cast listings for Thor: Love and Thunder has suggested that the God of Thunder will not only be teamed up with Guardians of the Galaxy, but could also have a strong connection to the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Ever since Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury appeared at the end of Iron Man to tell Tony Stark that he was building a team, Marvel Studios has created the largest ongoing narrative in cinema history. Watching a Marvel film or series has become about watching a solid standalone story, while seeing old characters return, new characters be introduced, and trying to work out what will pay off in the future. It is Saturday morning cartoons on a mega budget, and it works because audiences of all ages turn up to be taken away for two hours plus on a fantasy ride that entertains and draws them in.
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A new piece of information on the cast of characters appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder has now suggested that the movie could contain a link to the next Marvel feature, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Australian actress Akosia Sabet has been added to IMDb and Showcast as appearing in the film as Bastet, the Egyptian cat god who has strong links to Wakanda, as reported by Cosmic Circus.
While IMDb has been known to get things wrong on occasion, the Showcast app is likely to have been updated by the actress or her team and is a much more reliable source of information. Whether her character appears in the main story of Thor: Love and Thunder, or as part of a post credit scene linking to the upcoming Black Panther sequel is something we will just have to wait to find out.
Thor: Love And Thunder Will Bring Many Gods Into The MCU, But How Many Will Survive?
Up until now, the only gods that have made an appearance in the MCU have been those from Asgard, such as Thor, Odin and Loki. With Thor: Love and Thunder the Marvel Universe is expanding into new territories, bringing in gods from other mythologies as well as Christian Bale’s villain Gorr the God Butcher. It has already been confirmed that Russell Crowe will be playing Zeus in the movie, and that could mean Sabet’s Bastet could have a similar role to play in the film. By the time Thor: Love and Thunder is releases, we will have already seen the presence of another Egyptian God, Khonshu, in the Moon Knight series, so there is still potential for even more to appear.
Bastet has already been mentioned in the MCU in the past, in Black Panther, but this will be the first time a physical form has been seen on screen. The addition of the character in Thor: Love and Thunder could suggest that this will lead directly into Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is the next movie scheduled for release after Thor, or it could even involve the death of the Panther Goddess at the hands of Gorr, who needs to get his “God Butcher” title from somewhere after all.
Thor: Love and Thunder will be the fourth solo movie for Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and coming once again from Taika Waititi, we can expect more of the loud and colorful adventures that redefined Hemsworth’s character in Thor: Raganrok. Last time, we had a buddy movie that introduced Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, and brought Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk along for the ride.
This time out we will see the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who during the course of the movie will become The Mighty Thor, and the inclusion of members of the Guardians of the Galaxy team including Chris Pratt’s Starlord, Dave Bautista’s Drax and Karen Gillan’s Nebula. The film arrives in cinemas on July 8th, 2022 ahead of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11th.
