After years of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy doing their own respective things in different corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the two teams finally collided in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, starting with when the Guardians found Thor floating in space. Since then, one wouldn’t be blamed for thinking of the God of Thunder as an honorary Guardian of the Galaxy, and he’ll be reuniting with the spacefaring heroes next year in Thor: Love and Thunder. So naturally, that gives Chris Hemsworth another opportunity to perform opposite Chris Pratt, a.k.a. the MCU’s Star-Lord.
During a recent conversation with GQ, Chris Hemsworth highlighted Chris Pratt’s improvisational skills as one of things that’s energized him while working on Thor: Love and Thunder. As Hemsworth put it:
The guy is wildly impressive with the spontaneity and the humor and the things he comes up with. It's both funny, inspiring, and intimidating.
While Chris Pratt was well-known for his improv while playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom Parks & Recreation before being cast in Guardians of the Galaxy, the MCU has unquestionably been his biggest platform to show off his comedic talents. Granted, Chris Hemsworth’s no comedy slouch either, as evidenced by Ghostbusters and Thor: Ragnarok, but he’s been dazzled by what Pratt has brought to the table in that regard during their time together in the superhero franchise, especially on Thor: Love and Thunder.
Thor and Star-Lord have certainly established a unique dynamic with one another in the short span they've known each other. When they met in Avengers: Infinity War, Peter Quill tried to make himself sound tougher while in the God of Thunder’s presence, and when they reunited in Avengers: Endgame, the two got into a brief quibble about who was the Guardians of the Galaxy’s true leader as they departed Earth. Who knows what sort of shenanigans they’ll get into from there?
That being said, don’t expect Star-Lord and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy to have an integral role in Thor: Love and Thunder, akin to Hulk’s in Thor: Ragnarok. Chris Pratt and the other Guardians actors have already wrapped their work on the movie, suggesting that they’ll only briefly pop up in Thor 4. It’s possible we may simply see Thor leaving the Guardians as he embarks upon his next adventure, although that’s not to say that’s the last time we’ll ever see him with them. Maybe Hemsworth could pop up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
In any case, there’s plenty to keep Thor occupied in Thor: Love and Thunder, from his clash with Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher to Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster reentering his life and now boasting superpowers of her own. Behind the cameras, Taika Waititi (who’s also reprising Korg) is back in the director’s chair and co-wrote the Love and Thunder script with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The next round of Thor-centric action is set to hit theaters on May 6, 2022.
For those of you looking forward to the spotlight being pointed squarely on the Guardians again, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is slated to hit theaters sometime in 2023, with principal photography expected to begin in late 2021. You’re welcome to keep track of what else the MCU is priming for the big screen with our upcoming Marvel movies guide.
