Earlier today, Thor: Love and Thunder star Chris Hemsworth made it clear that he has no plans to walk away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after starring in that movie. That debunks theories of the "Thor" mantle being passed to Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, but we wouldn't be at all surprised if she sticks around in this shared world for quite a few years.
Right now, it's pretty clear that Taika Waititi is taking inspiration from Jason Aaron's THOR run for his movie, but what comes next? It might seem a little soon to start taking guesses, but there are certainly a few stories we'd love to see brought to the big screen by the filmmaker.
Many of these could tie into the arrival of this new Thor too, and there are certain places the God of Thunder's story could go next based on what we do know about what's to come in Love and Thunder (not to mention other hints that have been dropped over the past few years).
So, to take a look at our suggestions, all you guys need to do is hit that "Next" button down below!
10. The Midgard Serpent
Walter Simonson's work should definitely continue to inspire what we see on screen from Waititi and the incredible visual you see above would look undeniably jaw-dropping in live-action.
Superman has Doomsday, and Thor has the Midgard Serpent. In the old Norse myths, the God of Thunder is actually destined to die while fighting Jormungand, making the stakes of this particular battle higher than ever. However, donning a protective suit of armour, Thor goes to battle against the gigantic creature and ultimately manages to defeat him, despite being badly wounded.
There were plans for the Midgard Serpent in Avengers: Infinity War - Thor was going to have to retrieve Stormbreaker from its skull only to clash with the monster's children - so incorporating elements of that in a future movie would be no bad thing. Perhaps this could even be Thor's final foe?
9. King Thor
No, not that King Thor (don't worry, we'll soon get to him). At one point in the comic books, the pressures of ruling Asgard proved to be too much for the God of Thunder, and the military decided to intervene.
Iron Man - then Secretary of Defence - donned a suit he dubbed the "Thorbuster" (which even allowed him to deflect attacks from Mjolnir), but is still unable to defeat the God of Thunder. While Thor eventually comes to his senses, his relationship with his fellow Avengers is damaged beyond repair, and he didn't reunite with his former teammates for a number of years after this.
Needless to say, there would need to be some big changes - Iron Man is dead, for starters - but the prospect of Thor having to defend him home like this has some exciting storytelling possibilities.
8. Battling The Avengers
In Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s The Ultimates, Thor - who none of the ever believed was a true God - found himself forced to fight his fellow heroes thanks to the evil machinations of his brother Loki.
Using his powers to fool that world's version of The Avengers into believing Thor is, in fact, an escaped mental patient who stole a powerful suit and hammer, they were forced to take him down, and the hero ended up imprisoned in the Triskelion. Ultimately, he was freed when Loki attempted to take over America with a team of supervillains and Asgardian forces at his side.
There are elements of this we wouldn't need to see on screen, but Thor's allies being turned against him and Loki making one final attempt to take over Earth could be a fun way to end their story.
7. Asgard On Earth
Near Broxton, Oklahoma, Thor manages to use his powers to conjure up the city of Asgard. It then floats just a few feet above Earth, making it a sovereign state. This led to a lot of very enjoyable storylines, particularly when it came to how the Asgardians coped with living on Earth.
Needless to say, the U.S. government wasn't pleased, and neither were many of the residents of Broxton who subsequently found themselves the target of superpowered villains.
In the MCU, New Asgard is based in Norway, but it would definitely be interesting to explore what the world thinks of the formation of that nation on Earth, and the God of Thunder eventually being forced to move it elsewhere, possibly recreating his former home in the process.
6. Meet Bor
It was hard to miss Bor's brief cameo in Thor: The Dark World, but it doesn't seem unfair to say that Marvel Studios could do a lot more with the God of Thunder's grandfather than just a flashback.
In the comics, Loki manages to bring Bor to the present (a fitting storyline seeing as the God of Mischief's TV series is likely set to deal with time-travel and alternate realities) and tricks Thor into battling him in the middle of New York City. Unaware of their connection, they both strike at each other with a deadly blow, but it is the God of Thunder who is ultimately left standing.
As you might expect, Loki had a much bigger plan, and the apparent murder of Thor's grandfather leads to the hero being banished from his home, making him an outcast of sorts.
5. War Of The Realms
Malekith wouldn't be the one pulling the strings here thanks to his forgettable appearance in Thor: The Dark World, but a big screen adaptation of "War of the Realms" would still be amazing.
As whichever villain replaces him rampages through the nine realms, Thor would be pushed to the brink, and him, Jane Foster, and Valkyrie teaming up to try and turn the tide would be fun to see after their initial alliance in Thor: Love and Thunder. Ultimately, to save Earth, the God of Thunder had to enlist The Avengers, potentially making this an event akin to Civil War.
If Waititi wants to cap off his trilogy with something truly epic, he'll choose to adapt this storyline.
4. The Surtur Saga
Part of Walt Simonson’s stellar run on Thor, this would be pretty epic...it's just a shame Thor: Ragnarok used Surtur in a supporting role! However, while he may have successfully destroyed Asgard, that doesn't mean he couldn't set his sights on Earth to destroy that realm next.
In the comics, Surtur attacks Asgard, while his fire demons attack Earth. However, drawing the Gods to Midgard was all part of his plan as he later destroys the Rainbow Bridge, trapping them there. Only Thor, Odin and Loki (yes, he actually decides to fight alongside his father and brother this time…but only because he doesn’t wish to rule over a destroyed Asgard) make it back.
They then battle the monster, and in one of the most memorable scenes in comic book history, Odin and Surtur both die, as Thor and Loki shout "Father!" in unison when he falls. None of that would work in the MCU, however, but there are elements it would be pretty phenomenal to see on screen.
3. Godbomb
Gorr the God Butcher was created by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic, and his plan was simple: create a bomb which would wipe out each and every God in existence. Ultimately, to take the villain down, the present day Thor would end up fighting alongside his younger self from the Viking era and his Odin-like ancient self from thousands of years in the future (King Thor).
Needless to say, the chemistry between the three Gods of Thunder was in equal parts epic and hilarious, and we're sure Waititi could do a lot with that given his comedic sensibilities.
Honestly, it's surprising that we haven't seen Gorr in the MCU yet, but with Dario Agger likely the main villain in Thor: Love and Thunder, it could be he's being saved for down the line.
2. The True Ragnarok
This is a little tricky after a movie called Thor: Ragnarok was released back in 2017, but there are elements from this mid-2000s story which could be borrowed for a completely different take on that.
In the mid-2000s, Thor had reached a point in the comics where he was just a little...stale. As a way of putting the character to one side for a while, Ragnarok finally took place. This time, however, Thor succeeded in breaking the cycle and is placed in a sort of hibernation, leading to his fellow Avengers believing that the God of Thunder is simply missing in action.
However, Mjolnir eventually crashes back to Earth and Thor returns, albeit with a new look. This could be a good way to reboot the character if and when Chris Hemsworth hangs up his hammer.
1. THE King Thor
We've seen "Fat Thor," but what about "Old Man Thor"? We mentioned a different version of King Thor earlier in this feature, but if, after we see that team-up in an adaptation of "Godbomb," Waititi wants to head into the future, then we could visit a very different MCU alongside this character.
Jason Aaron ended his THOR run by taking us thousands of years from now with a Thor who was trying to save the Universe before it was snuffed out for good (alongside his granddaughters).
Along the way, he faced a Wolverine imbued with the power of the Phoenix Force, an ancient Galactus, Loki, and even a returning Gorr. There's so much great material here, it would be a real missed opportunity for Marvel Studios not to do something with this iteration of the Thunder God.