Thor: Love and Thunder Set Before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in MCU Timeline According to James Gunn

It was a whirlwind of a week for fans of Chris Hemsworth, Thor, and Taika Waititi. A few days ahead of San Deigo Comic-Con, it was reported that Waititi was putting his live-action Akira adaptation at Warner Bros. on hold in order to come back to Marvel Studios and make a follow-up to 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. That was great news in and of itself, but it got even better on Saturday night during the Marvel panel when the title, release date, and cast of the movie were announced.

Thor: Love and Thunder (with a perfect throwback font in the logo) will arrive in 2021 and will feature the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who is going to take on the mantle of Thor a la Jason Aaron’s Mighty Thor comic run. This is exciting on multiple levels, but it does raise questions about Thor’s involvement with the Guardians of the Galaxy, as he left with them at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Well, much like the release schedule of the films, Thor: Love and Thunder will take place before the events of the long-awaited Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Guardians director confirmed as much on Instagram when a fan asked whether the new Thor would be before or after Guardians 3, and Gunn simply replied, “Before.”

Again, this shouldn’t be much of a shock considering Love and Thunder is coming out in just over two years while Guardians of the Galaxy 3 hasn’t even been slated for release. But it does mean we’ll likely get some answers regarding Thor’s time with the Guardians at the beginning of Waititi’s next film. Perhaps a few of the Guardians could be in the movie.

At this point, all we know as that the film will star Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Natalie Portman. It would be safe to assume Waititi will be reprising his role as Korg as well, given the character’s friendship with Thor and the positive reception the character has received amongst fans.

Are you looking forward to everything coming to the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments!

Thor: Love and Thunder is set to hit theaters on November 5, 2021.