‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ trailer reveals first look at Natalie Portman’s superhero return

The strongest Avenger is back. 

On Monday, Disney released the first teaser trailer for Taika Waititi’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which serves as a sequel to “Thor Ragnarok,” also directed by the Oscar-winning filmmaker.

Picking up after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” “Thor: Love and Thunder” finds Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder on an existential quest for “inner peace” that also puts him in the orbit of the Guardians of the Galaxy (including Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord). Here’s the official synopsis from Marvel:

“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.”

The teaser trailer, which leans heavily on the comedic tone Waititi brought to the “Thor” franchise with “Ragnarok,” ends with a shot of Portman’s Jane wielding the Mjolnir – a twist taken from the Jason Aaron run of the Mighty Thor comics. Porter, who made a brief appearance in “Avengers: Endgame” via archival footage, has not starred in a Marvel movie since “Thor: The Dark World” in 2013.

“Thor: Love and Thunder” is out in theaters on July 8.

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