After months and months of waiting, Marvel has finally released the first trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder. However, the first teaser trailer for Thor’s fourth solo film has brought with it more questions than answers. A short shot in the Thor: Love and Thunder trailer features a mysteriously empty spot, and fans think that Marvel has edited out a secret character that’s supposed to be present in that scene.
Marvel Studios is no stranger to editing trailers to keep secrets. Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s trailer featured a shot of Tom Holland landing near the Statue of Liberty, a scene that featured Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the final film. 2019’s Avengers: Endgame also featured an edited shot of the trailer, although it was only Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts that was removed from a scene in that instance.
Who is Missing from the Thor: Love and Thunder Trailer?
It’s clear that someone is being hidden in the Thor trailer, since a shot of Thor and Korg has way too much empty space to the left of the duo. Someone is supposed to be there, but who? Fans have plenty of guesses, and since Love and Thunder has a huge ensemble cast featuring Russell Crowe as Zeus, Christian Bale as Gorr, and many of the Guardians of the Galaxy reprising their roles, there are plenty of possibilities for this mystery character.
Jane Foster: Mighty Thor
While there are countless fan theories about exciting cameos and character reveals, the most likely candidate for the third person in this shot is Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who will make her debut as the Mighty Thor in this film. Jane wielding Mjolnir was the final shot of the trailer, and Marvel likely wanted to save her costumed debut for the stinger. That’s why she was most likely removed from the shot with Thor and Korg.
Jane Foster is confirmed to be in the film (obviously), so her inclusion in that shot would be a disappointingly normal explanation for this editing coverup. Still, there are other people that could accompany Thor and co. throughout the film, and fans think that it may not be Portman’s character in that scene.
Beta Ray Bill
Fans have been begging for Beta Ray Bill to enter the MCU for years at this point, and some people think that he could be the mystery character standing next to Thor in the trailer. Beta Ray Bill is worthy and can lift Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, and he’s a fan favorite among comic readers.
He was initially supposed to be featured in Thor: Ragnarok as a cameo, but director Taika Waititi decided it wouldn’t do justice to the character. Since Waititi is back directing Love and Thunder, he could introduce Beta Ray Bill in a much more serious capacity this time around. It’d be a great moment for fans, but it could take away from Jane Foster’s time in the spotlight as Thor, so it’s still a tossup to see whether or not he’ll make the cut.
Hercules
Love and Thunder is set to introduce a wide array of new gods to the MCU, and if Russell Crowe is playing Zeus, then it makes sense for Hercules to make an appearance as well. Hercules has been a rumored character for the film for quite some time now, although nothing concrete has surfaced in regards to casting, costuming, or any other leaks.
Hercules and Thor have clashed several times throughout comic book history, and Hercules seems like a character that Taika Waititi would want to play around with in one of his films. Even if it’s just for brief cameo, Hercules has a solid chance of appearing in Love and Thunder. He may not be the one edited out of the trailer, but you may see this Marvel god on the big screen in July.
Loki
This is a long shot, but there’s no character more used to longshots than the Norse God of Mischief himself. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki has become one of the most popular characters in the MCU since his introduction in the first Thor film and, more importantly, his role as the antagonist of the first Avengers movie. Since then, he’s appeared in every single Thor movie to date and even has his own Disney Plus series that’s slated for a second season.
The Loki show gave MCU fans their first serious taste of the multiverse, introducing the concept of variants, the Time Variance Authority, and the Sacred Timeline. While the original Loki perished at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, a Loki variant escaped to our timeline and has quickly been caught up to speed throughout the first season of his show.
While it may not be time just yet, a reunion between Thor and Loki would be a huge crowd-pleasing moment for fans. With Loki set to appear in another season of his own show on Disney Plus, and with the God of Mischief being rumored for other appearances in films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there’s a slim chance that he could appear in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Again, this is a huge longshot (and mostly just wishful thinking), but even a brief appearance from Tom Hiddleston would be highly appreciated. Plus, it’s exactly the type of thing Marvel would want to keep under wraps with an edited trailer.
While we wait to see who’s really supposed to be in this scene, there’s still plenty of Marvel goodness to enjoy. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres in just under a month, and Moon Knight is just over its halfway point on Disney Plus.
Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8, 2022 in the United States.
