History Film / ThorLoveAndThunder

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Thor quotes this trope verbatim, however, upon witnessing how ''far'' the moral standing of the gods Ompnipotence City [[spoiler:under the cowardly leadership of Zeus]] have fell in regards to [[spoiler:cynically allowing Gorr's massacre to continue uninterrupted until he dies himself of the Necrosword's corrosive corruption]].

* HaveYouSeenMyGod: The driving force of Gorr's angst: when he and his daughter were the only ones of his faith left behind, they were forced to survive in the elements until she dies. This trope further gets twisted on when he realizes his god has not only abandoned his people, but seems perfectly satisfied in indulging himself at the expense of everyone else. After the Necrosword has chosen him to become the God-Butcher, it becomes Gorr's additional modus to impart his subsequent NayTheist beliefs to everyone he meets. [[spoiler:The antipathy of Zeus and Omnipotence City, unsurprisingly, helps give greater weight to his beliefs. However, this really only lasts until he goes directly against Thor, [[WorthyOpponent realizing he's still the kind of god]] who believes in [[{{Ubermensch}} doing what he believes is good]] even when everyone else does not]].

** [[spoiler:Dying of sickness is a one-way ticket to Hel, so Jane’s cancer should condemn her. Regardless how many battles you fought, if you don't go out on the field, you’re screwed. Oddly, Thor even points this out to Sif earlier, noting that her losing her arm isn't enough to get to Valhalla.]]

The film stars returning MCU actors Creator/ChrisHemsworth as Thor Odinson, Creator/NataliePortman as Jane Foster / the Mighty Thor, Creator/TessaThompson as King Valkyrie, Creator/JaimieAlexander as Sif, Creator/TaikaWaititi as Korg, and Creator/ChrisPratt, Creator/DaveBautista, Creator/PomKlementieff, Creator/BradleyCooper, Creator/VinDiesel, Creator/KarenGillan and Creator/SeanGunn as the Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy, as well as new cast members Creator/RussellCrowe as [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Zeus]] and Creator/ChristianBale as Gorr the God Butcher.

* MoreDiverseSequel: Played with. Previous MCU installments within this film's premiere have been somewhat less subtle about homosexual characters/same-sex attraction left and right, but this is by far the first film to portray it far more explicitly without WordOfGay being involved. First they show Valkyrie kissing the hand of a beautiful woman in Omnipotent City, and Korg makes reference to her having had a girlfriend in the past. Korg himself also mentions [[HasTwoDaddies having had two dads]], [[spoiler:and later falls in love with a male member of his species]].

** Thor gives a rousing speech to the Asgardians about how he will rescue the children and then they can feast in celebration. He then hastily clarifies they won't feast ''on'' the children which they apparently did during a "dark, shameful" period.

* OncePerEpisode: Thor once again has a scene without his shirt on. Unlike the ShirtlessScene of prior movies, Thor here gets straight up naked.

* ShooOutTheClowns: the Boat Goats and their memetic yells provide a constant punctuation to almost any scene they're in, serving as comic relief. When the third act swings around and it's time for the FinalBoss, they're nowhere to be seen; the boat they pull has been decommissioned, and they are no longer needed.

* {{Heaven}}: Fittingly for a movie about gods, there is much talk about whether they offer an eternal reward upon death. Gorr initially believed he and his daughter would live forever after death due to their faithful worship of his god, but a chance encounter proved his god was a deceiver. This contrasts with the Asgardians like Thor, Sif, and some actors, who casually make references to enjoying Valhalla after their deaths. [[spoiler:In the end, we see that Valhalla is real and heroes like Jane and Heimdall can exist in peace there.]]

* WarriorHeaven: Valhalla is discussed a few times. Thor says Sif won't go if she dies from her wounds after the battle is over but suggests the arm she lost might have ended up there. [[spoiler:A post-credits scene confirms it exists when Jane ends up meeting Heimdall there.]]

** The Guardians of the Galaxy were heavily featured in the trailers, but they go off on a separate mission early in the movie, and are never seen again. Fittingly, they don't have appearances on the film's poster.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:During the FinalBattle, Gorr is about to kill Thor with the Necrosword... and then Jane arrives through the Bifrost, as Mighty Thor, and smashes him with Mjölnir.]]

* BiggerIsBetterInBed: Zeus flicks too hard and strips Thor nude. Cue multiple people (men and women) fainting.

* BizarreAlienReproduction: Kronan babies are made by two Kronans holding hands over a lava pit for a long time. [[spoiler:In the end, Korg makes a baby with a Kronan called Dwayne.]]

** During the ColdOpen, Rapu callously informs Gorr that there is no eternal reward for him after his death. [[spoiler:The final stinger proves Rapu wrong, as Heimdell greets Jane Foster and welcomes her to Valhalla.]]

** Sif references wanting to die in battle and be admitted to Valhala. This happens [[spoiler:to Jane, who succumbs to cancer using Mjölnir to destroy the Necrosword for good.]]

** Gorr confronting a restrained Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie is played completely straight.
** In fact, the entire black and white sequence is mostly serious and contains few comedic bits.
** Jane having cancer is consistently treated seriously, and no jokes are made regarding it.

** Thor has just defeated the leader of the owl-headed invaders hiding in the delicate crystal temple of a city of devoutly religious aliens... by crashing full speed into said delicate crystal temple, which crumbles to the ground like a pile of broken glass ''just'' as he takes the bow for "saving the day". And, as a backhanded "reward" for his clumsy "heroics", the understandably unamused aliens "gifts" the Guardians of the Galaxy with a pair of giant, uncontrollable goats who would kick and scream all day long. The fact that Thor doesn't take a hint and stop trying to apologize for wrecking the temple (which the high-priest mutters through gritted teeth is "a very painful memory") only rubs more salt in the wounds.

** Zeus making Thor as naked as newborn babe with a flick is already embarrassing enough (and hot enough to make Goddesses and Gods in the audience faint with admiration), made even more groan-worthy by the "RIP Loki" tattoos (complete with Roses and Broken Hearts) plastered across his hunky back.
* CrisisMakesPerfect: Korg claims the goats can be summoned by a special whistle but he can't do it but he successfully managed to summon them by whistling during the fight in Omnipotence City.

** At the end of the movie, [[spoiler:Gorr's resurrected daughter is shown to have been empowered by Eternity, giving her laser vision, and who knows what else]].

*** The opening scene, where Gorr and his daughter trek a seemingly endless desert shows Gorr both praying to Rapu, demonstrating the piety, and him caring for his daughter, whom he holds as she dies of thirst.

* EvenTheGuysWantHim: When Zeus accidentally strips Thor naked, his muscular physique is exposed to a large crowd in Omnipotence City's arena. Cue numerous women and men fainting.

** When he first sees Jane wielding Mjölnir, Thor, who doesn’t recognize her, is clearly jealous - his immediate reaction is to change his costume into a more ostentatious blue and gold with an over the top helmet. Through the remainder of the first act, Thor actively tries to summon Mjölnir to his side away from Jane and even makes a point of proving that he’s still worthy by picking up his former hammer in front of her.

* HealthyInHeaven: One of the post-credits scenes [[spoiler:has Jane appear in Valhalla with no signs of cancer.]]

** The Xandarian Kraglin has married a woman of unknown species called Glenda. According to Star-Lord, he marries a woman in every planet the Guardians of the Galaxy come across.

** In the mid-credits Stinger, [[spoiler:Zeus complains about the ascension of super-heroes and how the Gods have been forgotten and are no longer feared. This mirrors the real-life academic argument about how super-heroes are modern day myths and have supplanted the gods and legends of yesteryear in global storytelling.]]

* MetaTwist: Previous entries have had a consistent ChangingOfTheGuard as far back as ''Film/AntMan'', as new heroes took up the mantle of older heroes. [[spoiler:Not only does Jane not replace Thor as the God of Thunder, she actually dies before him. Thor does give Love Stormbreaker, but that is simply an extension of Thor's CharacterDevelopment that he is not intrinsically tied to his weapons.]]

** By the end of the film, and after the teases during ''Avengers: Endgame'' [[spoiler:Thor is wielding a restored (more or less) Mjölnir again -- and this time for good.]]

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder the giant goats... ''constantly.'' PlayedForLaughs.

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder the giant goats... ''constantly.''

** Holding on to love despite feeling shitty is better than walling your heart and feeling empty inside. Finding the strength to love again despite the pain form the crux of Thor's emotional arc in this movie.

* BadBadActing: The actors of New Asgard's theatre group are just as bad as they were [[Film/ThorRagnarok last time]]. Odin's actor crawls awkwardly off stage after his "death" and Loki's actor sprays water into his eyes to represent tears.

* SplashOfColor: On a tiny planet in the Shadow Realm, everything is monochrome, except for Gorr's orange eyes. Thor describes the place as one where colour cannot reach. [[spoiler:As they battle there, their weapons -- Mjölnir, Stormbreaker and Thunderbolt -- cause bursts of colour around them; in fact, one can see that the glow of Mjolnir colors anything the light is cast upon, as Jane is searching Gorr's tent.]]

* WorkingWithTheEx: {{exaggerated}}. Not only does Thor have to team up with Jane Foster, she also brings his ex-NamedWeapon Mjolnir. PlayedForLaughs with Thor attempting to get back into Mjolnir's good graces while Stormbreaker lingers around like a jilted lover.

** To ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'':
*** Thor briefly fights some Olympian warriors wielding whips formed from lashes tied to his wrists.
*** Furthermore, Gorr developed a [[RageAgainstTheHeavens deep-seated hatred of gods]] because of his own experiences with his own gods, swearing to kill them all out of vengeance. Sounds a lot like Kratos. For bonus points, both have grey skin and wield enhanced swords.
** The Realms of Eternity bears a striking resemblance to the subconsciousness of the protagonist Kamado Tanjiro in the 2020 Anime Film ''[[Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba Demon Slayer: Infinity Train]]''; a gentle endless plain of tranquil water bathed in warmth and peaceful light [[spoiler:wherein another terminally ill villain (Gorr) ''also'' regains his humanity through the love and kindness of the protagonist, much like how the demon-accomplice boy with tuberculosis who entered Tanjiro's subconscious was redeemed]]. Also, just like ''Love and Thunder'', the Central Aesop of ''Infinity Train'' is also the moral responsibility of using one's strength to defend the weak, as well as generosity and kindness to the less fortunate; a lesson passed down from a mother to a son. (Frigga to Thor. Rengoku Ruka to Rengoku Kyojuro)
** The Realms of Eternity also resembles the Final World from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''.

** This is not the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings first fantasy film]] to feature the music of Music/{{Enya}}.

* RedshirtArmy: Half of the Asgardian warriors are killed during the initial attack by Gorr. A conversation afterwards lampshades how often their warriors get killed when one resident sarcastically noted half their warriors are ''always'' dead.

* {{Gorn}}: [[spoiler:The fight between Thor, Valkyrie, Jane, and Korg with Zeus's guards is surprisingly really bloody for an MCU or Disney film. What keeps it from bumping the movie up past a PG-13 is that Olympian blood is [[AlienBlood golden]].]]

* TheExactCenterOfEverything: It's revealed that the center of the MCU is the Gates of Eternity, a temple that houses the titular Eternity. Anyone that can unlock the Gates of Eternity are given one wish by the titular being, Gorr the God-Butcher intending on wishing for the death of all gods in the universe.

* CosmicHorrorStory: Sure, on ''face value'' this ''is'' a LovecraftLite Space Fantasy with a villain who can summon eldritch insectoid monstrosities from the literal shadows... But, as demonstrated by Thor's visit to the glittering, gilded spires of Omnipotence City, the ''true'' horror of this story is the rot of cynicism festering in the souls of the seemingly beautiful gods worshipped in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Their uncaring ''apathy'' towards the suffering of mortal lives, and the sheer ''ugliness'' of their selfish hearts equals, if not outright rivals that of the cruelest Alien Gods from the darkest nightmares of Creator/HPLovecraft.