By Odin’s beard! Is Thor: Love & Thunder about to be the gayest Marvel movie yet?
According to Natalie Portman it is, and we certainly don’t want to disagree with her—have you seen her biceps lately?
At a recent preview screening of the Taika Waititi-directed sequel, one fan rather bluntly asked Portman how gay the movie is, to which she simply responded, “So gay.” Over thunderous applause, Waititi gleefully chimed in: “Super gay!”
Watch the moment for yourself in the TikTok below:
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@zachaniff #fyp #foryoupage #thorloveandthunder #marvel #gay #lgbt #natalieportman ♬ original sound – zachaniff
But this is just the latest stop on a press tour that’s seen the filmmaker and his cast hyping up the Thor movie’s queer appeal.
In an earlier interview, Portman—whose Jane Foster makes a return to the franchise to become The Mighty Thor—agreed with journalist Andrew Freund’s assessment that, yes, this is the gayest MCU movie ever. “I love that read of it,” the actor added.
She went on to say that the queer factor—the gay characters, the rainbows, the campiness—all stems from the source material: “I mean, that is the core of the comics—it’s where it all started!”
We’ve previously been introduced to canonically gay characters Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and the rock-alien Korg (voiced by Waititi), both of whom we’re told will have their queerness acknowledged in Love & Thunder. And, of course, the film’s trailers have promised plenty of moments to get gay Marvel fans excited—not the least of which was that shot of Chris Hemsworth-as-Thor’s blurred out buns of steel.
Still, a little goes a long way here, as Marvel—which is owned by Disney—has had a complicated history with LGBTQ representation in its blockbuster films.
Related: Analyzing the new ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ trailer for signs of queer life (Spoiler: There’s a LOT!)
In Waititi’s view, it’s “insane” that we even need to continue having these conversations around inclusion.
In an interview with Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, the director addressed representation in Thor in regard to the ballyhoo around Lightyear‘s same-sex kiss, saying, “To think people will go to a movie and go, ‘Did you see those two women kissing’… it’s insane people still want to talk about that. Why is it not normalized?”
“The good thing about [queer representation] in these films, it’s mainstream movies where we get to see this and it’s normalized,” Waititi added. “I think that’s what’s cool. Way more people are going to see that and begin to understand it’s fine.”
@dailytelegraph About time! 👏 #thor #thorloveandthunder #queer #representation #taikawaititi #chrishemsworth ♬ original sound – The Daily Telegraph
So, if Portman and Waititi are to be believed, it certainly sounds like Thor: Love & Thunder is going to give the gays everything they want. But we’ll have to wait until July 8, when the Marvel film hits theaters, the see for ourselves.
In the meantime, let’s watch the last few seconds of that Love & Thunder trailer again… just because.
Cam
Now that Russia has been boycotted it’s one less country demanding all LGBTQ content be removed from Disney movies.
MystiRivers
This sounds like it’s going to be a train wreck.
DBMC
You mean like what Trump is going to do to De Santis when he announces his candidacy?
bachy
I simply do not understand what Natalie Portman is doing in this franchise.
Oh– I see: she’s raking in that easy blockbuster money.
DarkZephyr
What’s your problem with Natalie Portman?
MISTERJETT
Nat’s cool.
Joshooeerr
Yes, it’s embarrassing to see actors who otherwise claim they aspire to doing work of value appearing in this dreck to rake in the cash.
bachy
@Joshooeerr: exactly!!!
storm45701
The chance to work with a director like Waititi is not something an actor like Natalie Portman will turn down. Most modern movie stars do a mix of artistic and pop-culture films. One wins the awards, the other pays the bills. I’ve also heard many an actor say they want roles that their young kids can watch and appreciate.
DBMC
If you can make money doing Thor it makes it easier to do Jackie or Vox Lux.