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Thor: Love and Thunder puts Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder front and center for the first time since 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Much like that film brought in Cate Blanchett as the villainous Hela, Thor: Love and Thunder assembles a similarly impressive cast of actors. In fact, director Taika Waititi’s new movie features no fewer than five Academy Award winners among its cast. 

Since ‘Iron Man,’ Marvel Studios has attracted top-tier talent

Of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to star-studded casts. Even Iron Man — the original MCU release — featured Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, and Terrence Howard, all of whom were either Oscar winners or nominees at the time. And this approach to recruiting Hollywood stars has carried on for over a decade at Marvel Studios.

Easily, the pinnacle of this is the ensemble cast of Avengers: Endgame. That film — the climactic chapter of Marvel’s Infinity Saga — features nine Oscar winners and 12 Oscar-nominated stars. Although Marvel Studios has yet to win a Best Picture trophy, the company makes up for it with a wild amount of winning talent, including Thor: Love and Thunder’s cast.

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ features 5 Academy Award winners

thor love thunder
(L-R) Sean Gunn, Karen Gillan, Brad Winderbaum, Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios, Christian Bale, Louis D’Esposito, Natalie Portman, Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, Tessa Thompson, Victoria Alonso, President of Physical, Post Production, VFX and Animation at Marvel Studios, Chris Pratt and Jaimie Alexander attend the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Thor: Love and Thunder’s Oscar-winning pedigree begins with Waititi himself. In this film, he directs, cowrites, and stars as Korg. Waititi won his first Academy Award in 2020 with a Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit. Likewise, Matt Damon — who reprises his Thor: Ragnarok role as an in-universe actor playing Loki — won a Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998.

The other three Oscar winners in Thor: Love and Thunder all earned their statues for acting. Natalie Portman first starred as Jane Foster in 2011, the same year she won Best Actress for Black Swan. And both Christian Bale and Russell Crowe join the MCU with Thor: Love and Thunder. Bale won Best Supporting Actor for 2010’s The Fighter, while Crowe won Best Actor a decade earlier for Gladiator.

What will happen next in the ‘Thor’ franchise going forward?

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Picking up Thor’s journey from Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder sees Hemsworth’s hero on a journey of self-discovery. No longer part of the Avengers, Thor searches for new purpose and, along the way, reunites with former love Jane, who is now the Mighty Thor. The addition of a second Thor has sent the rumor mill into overdrive regarding the series’ future.

Hemsworth has been vocal about his willingness to keep playing Thor as long as the character remains fresh. But where Thor Odinson goes next is anyone’s guess. Provided Thor: Love and Thunder performs well at the box office, the film could conceivably pave the way for a fifth entry. After all, no other MCU character has gotten a fourth movie before. So this is already new territory.

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