Meet the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder

Portman's return as Jane Foster is being greeted with the most intrigue following her nine-year absence from the MCU, which began in the wake of 2013's disappointing sequel Thor: The Dark World.

Taking inspiration from a popular comic book storyline, Jane is reintroduced with the extraordinary powers of Thor, but they are linked to a harrowing experience in her personal life.

She'll join forces with her new ally Valkyrie to take on the villainous Gorr the God Butcher, played by Academy Award winner Christian Bale.

For all the essential details on the Thor: Love and Thunder cast, read on.

Thor cast: Love and Thunder list of actors and characters

The following cast members are confirmed for Thor: Love and Thunder.

• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher
• Tessa Thompson as King Valkyrie
• Taika Waititi as Korg
• Jaimie Alexander as Sif
• Russell Crowe as Zeus
• Natalie Portman as the Mighty Thor/Dr Jane Foster
• Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill
• Pom Klementieff as Mantis
• Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer
• Karen Gillan as Nebula
• Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri
• Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot
• Matt Damon as Asgardian Actor Loki
• Sam Neill as Asgardian Actor Odin
• Luke Hemsworth as Asgardian Actor Thor
• Melissa McCarthy as Asgardian Actor Hela

Chris Hemsworth plays Thor

Who is Thor? Inspired by Norse mythology, Thor is a member of Asgardian royalty and officially the God of Thunder. Of all the characters in the MCU, Thor has arguably had the roughest time to date. Not only has he lost his mother, father and brother (as far as he knows), but also his homeworld was entirely obliterated at the end of 2017's Ragnarok. The few surviving Asgardians have relocated to Earth, where Thor passed the throne onto his trusted friend, Valkyrie. When we last saw him at the end of Avengers: Endgame, he was an unwanted guest of Star-Lord's on Guardians spaceship The Milano.

What else has Chris Hemsworth been in? Outside of his Marvel work, the Australian actor is best known for roles in Hollywood blockbusters The Cabin in the Woods, Snow White and the Huntsman and Ghostbusters. Most recently, he collaborated with Top Gun: Maverick duo Joesph Kosinski and Miles Teller for Netflix original film Spiderhead, although it has failed to match the success of his previous streaming hit Extraction.

Natalie Portman plays Dr Jane Foster / The Mighty Thor

Who is Jane Foster? Jane Foster is an astrophysicist who first encountered Thor after he was banished to Earth for his arrogant antics on Asgard. The two quickly formed a romantic connection but Jane ultimately broke things off, focusing on her career as one of the preeminent voices in her field. However, in Love and Thunder, she will cross paths with her former love once more, only this time wielding similar superhuman abilities – derived from his original weapon, Mjolnir.

What else has Natalie Portman been in? Following a breakout performance in Leon, Portman rose to superstar status in the cast of the Star Wars prequels, where she played ill-fated politician Padmé Amidala. Since that divisive trilogy wrapped up, she has focused primarily on smaller projects, earning critical acclaim for her work in Black Swan, Jackie, Vox Lux and Annihilation.

Tessa Thompson plays King Valkyrie

Who is Valkyrie? A former member of Asgard's fallen army, Valkyrie became disillusioned and exiled herself to the trash-filled gladiatorial planet of Sakaar, where she eventually came across Thor. The two formed a bond and worked together to vanquish Hela, the Goddess of Death, although their victory came at a dire price – the complete destruction of Asgard. When the few remaining survivors formed a settlement on Earth, Thor entrusted the throne to Valkyrie before setting off on a quest to learn more about himself.

What else has Tessa Thompson been in? Prior to joining the MCU, Thompson garnered attention for her work on acclaimed films Dear White People, Selma, and Creed. Thompson previously appeared opposite Love and Thunder co-star Portman in sci-fi flick Annihilation, written and directed by filmmaker Alex Garland. Meanwhile, her dynamite comedic chemistry with Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok led Sony Pictures to cast the duo in 2019's Men in Black: International (although that endeavour fell flat with critics and audiences alike). Last year, Thompson starred in Netflix awards contender Passing and currently she can be seen in HBO's Westworld.

Christian Bale plays Gorr the God Butcher

Who is Gorr? Following a personal tragedy, Gorr becomes steadfast in his belief that gods should not exist and sets about travelling the universe picking them off one-by-one. Inevitably, this brings him to the attention of Thor.

What else has Christian Bale been in? Bale will be well-known to fans of comic book cinema, having starred as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's celebrated Dark Knight trilogy. Outside of his caped crusading, Bale has delivered a number of powerhouse performances in projects such as American Psycho, The Prestige, The Fighter, American Hustle and The Big Short. This is Bale's first post-pandemic project, following the success of 2019's Ford v Ferrari.

Russell Crowe plays Zeus

Who is Zeus? Inspired by Greek mythology, Zeus is king of the Olympian gods who receives a visit from Thor and his pals amid Gorr's killing spree across the universe.

What else has Russell Crowe been in? New Zealander Crowe became a big name in Hollywood following his starring role in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, some two decades ago. Since then, he has found further success with powerful drama A Beautiful Mind, war epic Master and Commander, and classic musical Les Misérables. He portrayed Superman's Kryptonian father Jor-El for the DC Extended Universe, while he also joined Universal's short-lived Dark Universe as Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde with 2017's The Mummy.

Jaimie Alexander plays Sif

Who is Sif? Sif is an old friend of Thor's, who once fought alongside him and the Warriors Three (Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun) in battles throughout the Nine Realms. During the events of The Dark World, it was implied that Sif has romantic feelings for him, which placed a strain on her relationship with Jane Foster.

What else has Jaimie Alexander been in? Alexander took a leave of absence from the MCU while starring in US crime drama Blindspot, where she played a mysterious woman whose tattoos held the answers to unsolved crimes. The show concluded its five-season run in 2020. Since then, she has returned to Marvel for small roles in Loki and What If...?.

Taika Waititi plays Korg

Who is Korg? Korg is a member of the Kronans, an alien species whose bodies are formed from rock. He met Thor on the remote planet of Sakaar, where he had been enslaved as a gladiator by the cold-hearted Grandmaster. Since escaping his grasp, Korg has been a close friend to Thor, even fighting alongside him against Thanos.

What else has Taika Waititi been in? In addition to his on-screen role in the MCU, Waititi is the director of both Ragnarok and Love and Thunder (the latter of which he also co-wrote). The New Zealand-born filmmaker had previously appeared in his earlier directorial efforts Eagle vs Shark, Boy, What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. In 2019, he earned an Academy Award for writing the screenplay to wartime comedy-drama Jojo Rabbit.

Chris Pratt plays Star-Lord

Who is Star-Lord? The closest thing that the Guardians of the Galaxy have to a leader, Star-Lord (aka Peter Quill) is a part-human, part-Celestial space adventurer. Along with his eccentric team, he has had a hand in saving the universe on no less than three occasions. He first met Thor in Avengers: Infinity War, where he was intimidated by his shredded physique and dashing good looks, so he wasn't thrilled when the God of Thunder formally joined his team in Endgame.

What else has Chris Pratt been in? After breaking out in the cast of US sitcom Parks and Recreation, Pratt leapt onto the big screen with hit films Zero Dark Thirty, The Lego Movie, Jurassic World and – of course – Guardians of the Galaxy. Recently, he has become a hot commodity for Prime Video, which nabbed exclusive rights to his sci-fi flick The Tomorrow War and drama series The Terminal List.

Other cast members include Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Matt Damon as Asgardian Actor Loki, Sam Neill as Asgardian Actor Odin, Luke Hemsworth as Asgardian Actor Thor and Melissa McCarthy as Asgardian Actor Hela.

Finally, the Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scenes include a surprising new character and an unexpected return.

• Read More: Thor: Love and Thunder ending explained – What happens to Gorr?
• Read More: Is Loki in Thor: Love and Thunder?
• Read More: Will Natalie Portman’s Thor return?
• Read More: Thor: Love and Thunder review – Patchy, but plenty of fun
• Read More: Meet the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder
• Read More: How Valkyrie's sexuality plays into Thor: Love and Thunder
• Read More: Thor: Love and Thunder soundtrack – every song featured in Marvel blockbuster
• Read More: Thor's Tessa Thompson on the future of Valkyrie in the MCU

Thor: Love and Thunder is in UK cinemas now – watch the previous Thor films and more Marvel favourites on Disney Plus – sign up now for £79.90 for a year or £7.99 a month. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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