All The Moments Where Thor: Love And Thunder's Trailers Misled Us
"Thor: Love and Thunder" is finally out in theaters, and some of the things we thought we'd see from the trailers didn't pan out in the movie. This is a natural outcome of the Marvel marketing machine, which needs to pique fans' interests while not giving too much away. So let's break down what exactly from the trailers made it into the movie, and what was just a red herring.
Needless to say there are major spoilers ahead for the Marvel film, so be warned.
The Guardians of the Galaxy
Let's start with the Guardians of the Galaxy. As you know, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) went off to join the Guardians for a bit after "Avengers: Endgame," flying around the galaxy, fighting space crime. However, Thor doesn't stay with the Guardians for very long in his latest solo outing. We saw shots of them in almost every trailer, from Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) mentioning that this isn't exactly a vacation as he shoots his gun, to the complicated handshake between Thor and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt). In the film, the Guardians are barely with the thunder god for more than the opening scenes.
After visiting a planet early on, saving it, but also destroying their pretty temple, Thor takes off on his own adventures. That might have something to do with his new, destructive companions: the giant goats that the leader of the planet gifts Thor. They yell a lot and break things, but they're just the cutest creatures to ever power a tourist-boat-turned-Thor-chariot.
I guess we'll just have to wait to see more of the space gang until "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" when it hits theaters next May.
'Dad bod to god bod'
Several of the trailers and clips show the larger "dad bod" Thor working out, using chains attached to a giant skeleton, then revealing his new, "god bod." Not only did we never figure out who that skeleton was (it wasn't one of the dead gods as far as I can tell), but Thor's transformation into god bod territory was just as quick as it was in the trailers.
Not only that, but the meditation scenes made it appear that he was maybe still rocking that dad bod under those comfy robes. It looks like he's adapted a new, peaceful lifestyle, but is called back into battle despite that. In the first teaser, Thor talks about his fighting days being over, and plants Stormbreaker in the ground. That is not the case in the film though. In fact, he later tells Jane (Natalie Portman) that he doesn't even like meditation.
Jane isn't just an aloof ex who has had a glow up
If you've read the Mighty Thor comic book run, you know that while Jane Foster becomes Mighty Thor, she is also dealing with cancer. Every time she transforms into the god, it kills off the chemo that is working to destroy the cancer cells. It wasn't clear in the trailers that we'd see her transform back into her human self, despite the fact that the information about her illness was out there with things like toy description leaks. If you only watched these teases for "Thor: Love and Thunder," you might not know why Mjölnir called her in the first place.
The trailers also make it seem as though Jane isn't really interested in Thor anymore. He's the one who remembers exactly how long it's been since they saw each other last, down to the number of days, while she sort of dismisses it. (She may have been blipped out of existence for five years, so that could have affected how long she thought it was, to be fair.) We do get a few glimpses of her remembering what they were to each other, but even those — like the look on her face when Thor says, "You never forget your first" — make it seem like she's embarrassed by the whole thing.
None of it is true, and she's still in love with Thor — as much as he still loves her. Rest in Valhalla, Jane.
Zeus is far goofier than we were led to believe
Russell Crowe's version of the Greek god Zeus was a highlight of the film, and definitely got some of the biggest laughs at the screening I attended. While we can tell in the trailers that Zeus is a bit quirky, flicking the clothing right off of Thor, we really don't get the full extent of how funny he is — or how important to the future of the MCU.
Crowe goes full goofball, talking about prepping for the big Omnipotence City orgy, and giving an entrance (he's famous for them, according to Thor) that rivals anything the Rolling Stones have ever done. He's full of self-importance, which tracks if you're familiar with his mythological history outside of the comics, but more than that, he's really, really funny.
In fact, despite the battle that happens at the end of the scene, the entire thing is a laugh riot, complete with an animated Bao, the god of dumplings, watching events unfold.
In the mid-credits scene, Zeus is complaining about how Thor made him look bad, and though we think it's a monologue at first, it's actually a speech to his son Hercules (Brett Goldstein). Zeus is sending Hercules after Thor, and that is going to have some repercussions in the MCU.
Pirate kisses
Perhaps you noticed a certain pirate lady with crazy blue and white hair being smooched by Thor on a ship. She's got a pretty distinctive look, with the top of her hair white with blue paisleys, and the bottom all sorts of shades of blue. When someone stands out like that in a comic book film, it seems like they might play at least a cameo role. I spent an hour trying to figure out who she was when the first teaser came out, to no avail.
While I wondered if he'd perhaps met someone on his adventures who would be set up as a real character, it was not to be. As it turns out, this pirate lady is in the film as much as she is in the teaser. That is to say, for mere seconds. I do hope we see her again at some point in the MCU. A wig that good shouldn't be wasted.
"Thor: Love and Thunder" is in theaters now.