The success of 2017's Thor: Ragnarok reinvigorated the character's franchise and helped launch him past the Marvel Cinematic Universe's opening Infinity Saga, as he is set to return for a fourth solo film called Thor: Love and Thunder, which will be the second from director Taika Waititi.

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The return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and the reveal that Christian Bale will appear as Gorr the God Butcher has teased the possible direction of Thor's next solo adventure, so we put together a few comics for fans to read if they're looking for a bit more information on the MCU's newest heroes and villain that could debut in Thor: Love and Thunder.

10 Thor Is Seen Wearing A Costume Very Similar To Eric Masterson's Thunderstrike

Thor has already seen a couple of his comic looks adapted on the big screen in the MCU, though recent set pics teased the debut of yet another comic costume, though you would have to check out the short-lived Thunderstrike comic series to see it in action.

Eric Masterson was a human who was chosen to replace Thor during a period in the 90s, and after the Thunder God returned, Masterson was rewarded with his own enchanted mace that transformed him into Thunderstrike. Masterson himself may not appear in the upcoming film, but fans are still excited to see his costume.

9 Thor Teamed Up With The Original Guardians Of The Galaxy During The Korvac Saga

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thor was last seen leaving Earth alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy, and recent set pics have confirmed that Star-Lord and other Guardians will make an appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder. Unfortunately, Thor and the modern Guardians of the Galaxy haven't had that many solo adventures together in the comics to explore.

However, he did work closely with the original version of the Guardians against a powerful reality-altering cyborg during "The Korvac Saga." The original Guardians made their cinematic debut as the first Ravagers in the MCU ( led by Sylvester Stallone's Stakar), which could mean a potential team-up between Thor and the original Ravagers exists.

8 2012's Thor: God Of Thunder Featured The First Appearance Of Gorr The God Butcher

The powerful alien being known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) will make his cinematic debut in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, which is an impressive feat for a character who only first appeared in 2012's Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribić.

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Some of Thor's earliest adventures on Earth during the Viking era were highlighted in the series, which is where Thor first met and fought Gorr. The God Butcher had spent centuries butchering gods with the powerful weapon known as All-Black the Necrosword, which first brought him to Earth.

7 "Godbomb" Detailed Gorr The God Butcher's Modern Day Struggle With Thor

Gorr's quest to destroy gods from the universe was expanded after Gorr gained the ability to travel across the timestream, and he began his plans to wipe out gods across the entire timeline during the "Godbomb" storyline from Thor: God of Thunder.

Aaron and Ribić's ongoing introduction of one of Thor's most powerful villains continued as it reached from the past to the future to further explore the worlds of Young Thor, present-day God of Thunder, and the future King Thor (who had his own dealings with Gorr), all of which could play a part in the God Butcher's MCU debut.

6 Odinson Searched For Answers And A Multiversal Mjolnir In The Unworthy Thor

The Original Sin event revealed a shocking secret to Thor (that also involved Gorr) that destabilized his entire worldview and made him feel unworthy of carrying Mjolnir, which was then picked up and wielded by someone else (more on her soon). As Odinson, he tried to overcome his shattered belief in himself while also hunted another multiversal Mjolnir that called to him.

While the MCU's Thor already went through his own struggle with unworthiness and forged a new hammer for himself, there are still elements from this storyline that tie into other events and could tease the MCU's upcoming foray into the multiverse.

5 The Mystery Behind The New Mighty Thor Was Explored In "Goddess of Thunder"

Odinson's loss of Mjolnir was explored in Thor's "Goddess of Thunder" storyline from Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman that carried over to the ongoing The Mighty Thor comic series, as a new female Thor appeared.

Her identity was originally a mystery, though it was eventually revealed that Jane Foster had picked up Mjolnir and been transformed into the Goddess of Thunder. With Natalie Portman's return to Thor: Love and Thunder and revelations from the actor and Waititi about her role in the movie, fans should definitely catch up on her time as the Mighty Thor.

4 Jane Foster's Mighty Thor Joined The All-New, All-Different Avengers

The All-New, All-Different era of Marvel introduced a few different next-generation heroes like Jane Foster's Thor, and a few of them joined together as a new team of Avengers in Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar's All-New, All-Different Avengers.

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Jane Foster joined the team alongside Sam Wilson's Captain America (who is currently starring in the MCU's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), who she entered into a brief romantic relationship with that could potentially throw an interesting twist into the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder.

3 The Death Of The Mighty Thor Brought An End To Jane Foster's Time As A Goddess

Aaron and Dauterman's epic run with Jane Foster on The Mighty Thor was brought to an end when the character's struggle with cancer that had haunted her brief time with Mjolnir finally began to catch up to her.

This came at an incredibly bad time as Asgard was also attacked by an ancient and ultimate destroyer known as Mangog, forcing her to choose between her failing health and her duty as the Mighty Thor. While Foster's comic sickness hasn't yet been revealed in the MCU, the comic storyline was a hard-hitting finale that could definitely see time on the big screen.

2 Valkyrie Appeared Alongside A Multiversal Team Known As The Exiles

Thor: Ragnarok also introduced Tessa Thompson as Scrapper-142, though she was ultimately revealed as the last of the Asgardian Valkyries who helped Thor, Loki and Hulk fight Hela and save the people of Asgard as the Revengers. Tessa Thompson was left as the ruler of New Asgardia on Earth and is slated to appear in Thor: Love and Thunder.

However, an interesting comic version of her unique MCU character appeared in the comics, which could tie into the MCU's upcoming exploration of the multiverse. Saladin Ahmed and Javier Rodriguez's Exiles introduced a version of Valkyrie that was inspired by the MCU who joined a team of multiversal characters as they traversed alternate realities and repaired the multiverse.

1 Jane Foster Found A New Beginning With Undrjarn the All-Weapon As The New Valkyrie

Jane Foster's time as the Mighty Thor may have ended in the comics, though she continued to prove herself as one of Asgard's allies during the War of the Realms event, which ultimately resulted in the creation of a new Asgardian weapon out of the remains of the multiversal hammer Odinson sought out in Unworthy Thor.

Jane Foster bonded with Undrjarn the All-Weapon and found her new role in the pages of Jason Aaron, Al Ewing and CAFU's Jane Foster: Valkyrie, which could tease a new future for Portman's character in the MCU following Thor: Love and Thunder.

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