NEW YORK — Natalie Portman has a whole new look in the first glimpse at the newest MCU movie, "Thor: Love and Thunder."
After a break from the world of superheroes, Portman is back in a newly-released teaser trailer -- giving a first glimpse of her character apparently wielding a repaired Mjolnir.
The trailer, released Monday morning, is set to the tune of Guns ‘N Roses’ “Sweet Child ‘O Mine." It starts with Chris Hemsworth's Thor on a personal journey.
“These hands were once used for battle, now they’re but humble tools for peace,” he says, putting down his new axe, Stormbreaker. “Now I need to figure out exactly who I am.”
One brief weight-loss and training montage with the Guardians of the Galaxy later, Thor is on his way to find his own path. We see brief glimpses of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie ruling New Asguard, a man wielding lightning bolts, and Thor kissing an unknown, blue-haired woman.
This fourth film in the “Thor” series is directed by Taika Waititi, who also directed the popular "Thor: Ragnarok." The actors from Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy," including Chris Pratt, are set to reprise their roles, as will Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Sean Gunn, Jeff Goldblum and Waititi himself.
"Thor: Love and Thunder" is set to come out on July 8.
"Big, loud and Crazy and full of heart," Hemsworth said on Twitter. "You’ll laugh you’ll cry, then you’ll laugh so much you’ll cry some more!!"
Portman as 'The Mighty Thor'
The biggest -- and final -- moment of the trailer shows Portman summoning Thor’s hammer Mjolnir in her new Mighty Thor costume.
The story of “Love and Thunder” is based on Jason Aaron’s run on the comic book “The Mighty Thor." Jane Foster -- portrayed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Portman -- becomes the superhero after the original Thor is deemed unworthy by Mjolnir.
Portman last portrayed Foster in "The Dark World". According to trade publication Variety, she reportedly left because she was unhappy with the film and the replacement of the original director Patty Jenkins with Alan Taylor. Waititi himself reportedly convinced Portman to return.
Who's the villain?
While he doesn't appear in the teaser trailer, Christian Bale is set to portray "Gorr the God Butcher". Marvel's official description gives a few more details:
"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," reads Marvel's official description for the film.
"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. Directed by Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “Jojo Rabbit”) and produced by Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum, “Thor: Love and Thunder” opens in theaters July 8, 2022."