Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder is the MCU’s wackiest movie yet, and it helps that it has a cast of characters stacked with talented actors. Taika Waititi returns to direct his second move in the MCU after the success of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. With him return plenty of other familiar faces, along with a few new ones, all of whom bring both comedic and dramatic chops for Thor: Love and Thunder‘s heartfelt adventure.

It’s some time after the events of Avengers: Endgame and Thor has been traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy ever since. After losing his entire family, multiple friends and comrades, and the love of his life dumping him, the God of Thunder feels lost and directionless, and just wants to find himself. His journey of spiritual enlightenment is cut short, however, when he learns that a ruthless villain named Gorr the God Butcher has been traveling the universe slaying gods–and Asgard is next.

Full Thor: Love & Thunder Cast

Here’s the full cast of characters of Thor: Love and Thunder.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson
Natalie Portman as Dr. Jane Foster/Mighty Thor
Tessa Thompson as King Valkyrie
Taika Waititi as Korg
Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher
Russell Crowe as Zeus
Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord
Dave Bautista as Drax
Karen Gillan as Nebula
Pom Klementieff as Mantis
Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon
Vin Diesel as Groot
Sean Gunn as Kraglin
Kieron L. Dyer as Axl
Matt Damon as Actor Loki
Luke Hemsworth as Actor Thor
Sam Neill as Actor Odin
Melissa McCarthy as Actor Hela

Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson

Thor’s Role In Love & Thunder

Of course, the biggest and brightest star in Thor: Love and Thunder is Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson. The God of Thunder is on a journey of self-discovery but must put the heroic cape back on when Gorr the God Butcher threatens to destroy everything he loves. Along the way, he reunites with his ex, Dr. Jane Foster, and sparks once again fly.

What Else Chris Hemsworth Has Been In

Chris Hemsworth is arguably one of the most famous faces in the world thanks to his longtime role as Thor in the MCU. Most recently, he was seen in Netflix’s Spiderhead and Extraction. Currently, he’s busy filming the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa.

Natalie Portman as Dr. Jane Foster/Mighty Thor

Jane Foster’s Role In Love & Thunder

In Thor: Love and Thunder, Dr. Jane Foster comes back into Thor’s life in the most unexpected way. When he meets her, she’s not just Jane, but the Mighty Thor, wielding a magically restored Mjölnir. As they reunite to save Asgard, their feelings for one another start to rekindle.

What Else Natalie Portman Has Been In

Natalie Portman is one of Hollywood’s most distinguished actresses. Like Hemsworth, Portman is well-known to audiences for her work as Dr. Jane Foster in the MCU, but also for playing Queen Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequels. Viewers will also recognize her from her Oscar-winning work in Black Swan and the twisty sci-fi Annihilation. Currently, she’s filming the miniseries Lady in the Lake.

Tessa Thompson as King Valkyrie

King Valkyrie’s Role In Love & Thunder

When Thor returns to Asgard in Thor: Love and Thunder, King Valkyrie has transformed New Asgard into a peaceful place for her people and a booming tourist destination. Still, it’s clear she’s bored in her bureaucratic role and longs to once again ride into battle. She gets her chance when Gorr shows up and upends the peace of New Asgard.

What Else Tessa Thompson Has Been In

Along with her role as Valkyrie in the MCU, plenty of people will also recognize Tessa Thompson from her role as Bianca in the Creed movies, as well as he role as Charlotte Hale in HBO’s Westworld. Beyond those franchise roles, Thompson has received plenty of accolades for her work in films like Passing, Little Woods, Sorry to Bother You, and Annihilation with Portman.

Taika Waititi as Korg

Korg’s Role In Love & Thunder

Along with his Thor: Love and Thunder directing duties, Taika Waititi returns as the voice of Korg, the loyal if somewhat clueless sidekick. In this movie, however, Korg also acts as Thor’s historian, documenting the God of Thunder’s adventures to spread his legend far and wide. Whether or not it’s entirely accurate is up to interpretation, however.

What Else Taika Waititi Has Been In

Taika Waititi is a Hollywood quadruple threat as a writer-actor-director-producer. Most recently, he was seen as Blackbeard in the smash hit Our Flag Means Death, and just before that, as the villain of Free Guy. In 2020, he won an Oscar for his work on Jojo Rabbit, where he also played Adolf. Audiences may also recognize his voice from The Mandalorian, where he voiced the assassin robot IG-11. Of course, most viewers first got to know him from his breakout acting-directing role of Viago in What We Do in the Shadows.

Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher

Gorr’s Role In Love & Thunder

Christian Bale plays the terrifying villain Gorr, one of the scariest villains ever in the MCU and who earns his name of “God Butcher” honestly in Thor: Love and Thunder. Gorr was once a normal man on a planet ravaged by famine and death. When his prayers to the gods go unanswered, Gorr is driven on a mission of revenge to kill the gods who are so callous and indifferent to the suffering of those they’re supposed to protect.

What Else Christian Bale Has Been In

Like Portman, Christian Bale has been acting since he was young and chances are, audiences have seen his work. His previous huge franchise before the MCU was playing the titular character in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Bale is also known for his work portraying real people in darkly satirical biopics and adaptations of true stories like American Hustle, Vice, The Big Short, and Ford v Ferrari. He won his first Oscar (Best Supporting Actor) for The Fighter. And, of course, audiences will also know him from his iconic role that launched his adult career playing Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.

Russell Crowe as Zeus

Zeus’ Role In Love & Thunder

Russell Crowe plays a version of Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder that is very different from most Greek gods previously portrayed on screen. Rather than being a god in his prime and hungry for battle, this Zeus just wants to hang out in the godly realm of Omnipotence and party. He could be a strong ally for Thor and his team–or he could strike them all dead where they stand.

What Else Russell Crowe Has Been In

Of course, Russell Crowe’s most classic and renowned role is playing Maximus in the Ridley Scott classic Gladiator, for which he won an Oscar. Other notable and beloved projects for Crowe include L.A. Confidential, Mystery, Alaska, A Beautiful Mind, Les Misérables, and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Viewers will also recognize him from his work in the other big superhero franchise, playing Jor-El, father of Superman, in the DCEU. Audiences will soon see him in his third superhero franchise; Crowe has joined Sony’s Kraven the Hunter, which is currently filming.

Thor: Love & Thunder’s Supporting Cast

Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif – Lady Sif makes her return as Thor’s old Asgardian friend and fiercest warrior. Outside of the MCU, Alexander is known for her work on the TV shows Blindspot, Kyle XY, and Watch Over Me.

Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord – Peter Quill leads the ragtag Guardians of the Galaxy, now with Thor in tow. Pratt’s breakout role was playing Andy Dwyer in Parks & Rec. Among other roles, he has since gone on to star in the Jurassic World trilogy and The Lego Movie movies.

Dave Bautista as Drax – Drax returns as the Guardians’ lovable, literal brawler in Thor: Love and Thunder. Outside the MCU Bautista is known for roles in Dune, Army of the Dead, Riddick, & more. He’ll next be seen in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Karen Gillan as Nebula – Everyone’s favorite angriest android returns in the form of Nebula. Along with Nebula, audiences will also know Gillan from her work in the Jumanji movies, Oculus, The Big Short, and especially from her beloved role as Amy Pond on Doctor Who.

Pom Klementieff as Mantis – Mantis is back as the Guardians’ resident alien empath in Thor: Love and Thunder. Outside of the MCU, audiences will best know French actress Klementieff from Uncut Gems, Westworld, and Thunder Force. She’ll also be seen in the next two installments of the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon – Rocket is the Guardians’ demolitions and weapons expert and Thor’s “sweet rabbit.” Along with voicing Rocket, other notable roles for Cooper include A Star is Born, Nightmare Alley, Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper, American Hustle, the TV show Alias, and, of course, The Hangover movie trilogy.

Vin Diesel as Groot – Teenage Groot returns with the Guardians and he’s as much of an angsty handful as ever. Outside of the MCU, Vin Diesel is, of course, best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise, as well as Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick movies and Xander Cage in the xXx series.

Sean Gunn as Kraglin – Kraglin is officially a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy–even if he does have a habit of picking up a new wife on every planet they visit. Gunn was recently in brother James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, where he played Weasel. TV audiences will also no doubt recognize him from his longtime role as Kirk Gleason on Gilmore Girls.

Kieron L. Dyer as Axl – Axl is an Asgardian boy with a special gift who Thor bonds with in Thor: Love and Thunder. Prior to Thor, Dyer’s two notable roles have been Leroy Jenkins in The Brilliant World of Tom Gates and appearing in the holiday movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.

Matt Damon as Actor Loki – It couldn’t be a Taika Waititi Thor movie without the trio of actors making their return, chief among them, Actor Loki. Viewers know Damon well from roles in The Last Duel, Ford v Ferrari, The Martian, Interstellar, the Jason Bourne and Ocean’s Eleven franchises, multiple Kevin Smith movies, and, of course, Good Will Hunting.

Luke Hemsworth as Actor Thor – The overly dramatic Actor Thor returns alongside Actor Loki, and he has a few ideas about his role. When not cameoing in his brother’s Thor movies, Hemsworth is best-known for playing the character Ashley Stubbs in Westworld.

Sam Neill as Actor Odin – Odin’s Thor: Ragnarok death is rather melodramatically recreated by Actor Odin in the movie. Neill is known worldwide for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park/World franchise, while others know him from his TV roles as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in The Tudors and Major Chester Campbell in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders.

Melissa McCarthy as Actor Hela – Actor Hela is a new addition to Asgard’s theater troupe in Thor: Love and Thunder, and perhaps the most dramatic yet. McCarthy is well-known for her comedic work in projects like Ghostbusters, Spy, The Heat, and Bridesmaids, as well as more dramatic roles like Nine Perfect Strangers. She’ll next be seen as Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid live-action remake.

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