What could happen in Thor 4?

It’s official – Thor 4 (or Four Thor if you prefer) is really happening, with writer/director Taika Waititi returning to the franchise following his critically-acclaimed Thor Ragnarok.

• Did you spot the brilliant Thor’s hammer joke in Men in Black: International?
• Taika Waititi back on board to direct Thor 4
• When is Thor 4 released in cinemas? Who’s in the cast and is there a trailer?

And while any details of the film’s cast or storyline remain a mystery, we couldn’t resist speculating about what we could see coming next for Chris Hemsworth’s Asgardian hero –starting with where we saw him last at the end of Avengers: Endgame…

Asgardians of the Galaxy

At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor went off to the stars with the spacefaring Guardians of the Galaxy, and was already jockeying with Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) for power. In some ways, this would be a perfect jumping off point for Thor 4, revisiting Thor amongst the crew of the Benatar as they aid him in some new mission.

This could also be a nice way to tide Guardians of the Galaxy fans over until that franchise’s much-delayed third instalment, popping the characters up again and keeping the brand alive just enough to seed the future film.

At the very least, it wouldn’t seem out of the question for Thor and Bradley Cooper’s raccoon mechanic Rocket (who spent much of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame together) to team up once more. How expensive is it really to get Bradley Cooper in a recording booth?

God squad

While most of Thor’s friends and subjects were killed in Ragnarok, Infinity War and the earlier Thor movies, that might not be the end of them all.

In a 2000s comic-book storyline, following Ragnarok – the Norse myth for the death of the Gods – Thor is informed that the pantheon actually still lives, with each god unknowingly residing inside the body of a normal mortal.

A movie where Thor has to track down the reincarnated Asgardians could make for an intriguing story, and could pave the way for Jamie Alexander’s Lady Sif to return (she has a significant if small role in this storyline) following the character's absence from the massacre at Asgard in Ragnarok (in reality, Alexander was busy with other commitments).

Plus, any way to get Idris Elba back in the MCU has our vote.

Keeping it Loki

It seems impossible that a Thor movie could exist without Tom Hiddleston’s fan-favourite Loki, and while the God of Mischief died in Avengers: Infinity War, a younger version of the character (circa his Earth-conquering attempts in 2012’s Avengers movie) escaped with the Space Stone in Avengers: Endgame.

While it’s a confusing development in terms of timelines and parallel universes, it seems likely that THIS younger Loki will be the one starring in his eponymous Disney streaming series. Given that, is it so unlikely that Thor could spend at least a portion of this movie tracking his brother down, a storyline that could even tie in with the Loki TV series?

The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLXQJzKPjaM

One of the most famous Thor storylines in history saw the God of Thunder bested by a horse-faced alien, who seized Thor’s hammer (and thus his power) to help his own people. Called Beta Ray Bill, the alien turned out to be so honourable that Odin gave him his own copy of the hammer so he could keep his abilities, and he remains a fan-favourite character to this day.

And one of those fans is none other than Taika Waititi, who included a notable Beta Ray Bill Easter Egg in Thor: Ragnarok after failing to fit the character into the movie. Given his love of the character, it doesn’t seem out of the question that Bill could rise again to face Thor in this movie – even if the destruction of Thor’s hammer in Ragnarok means that he couldn’t have quite the same storyline this time around.

Meet the Mangog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYOfVaeVr5k

Another of Thor’s most notable foes in the comics was the Mangog, a being powered by the hatred of billions of beings who were killed by Odin during his conquest of the universe and came back for revenge.

Yes, this character is pretty strange, but he fits well with Waititi’s interest in anti-colonial narratives and off-the-wall sensibilities, and in the comics he was a formidable threat to Thor, aiming to draw the mythical Odinsword and end the entire universe.

And frankly, who wouldn’t want to see a blockbuster movie where the ultimate villain was a strange yellow demon-man with an underbite called the Mangog? Seems like the next logical step after Thanos.