Thor: Love and Thunder is set to feature a new adventure for Chris Hemsworth's Thor, and he will be joined by a slew of new allies this time around. Alongside Hemsworth's MCU comeback, the God of Thunder will team up with Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, Taika Waititi's Korg, and Natalie Portman's Jane Foster in the movie. All of them are expected to be pitted against Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher.
Based on the already-confirmed villain, it looks like Love and Thunder will feature a plethora of Gods from across different mythologies. However, this spells bad news for the aforementioned Gods, since there's a strong chance that they will either be killed or imprisoned by Bale's dangerous villain.
So far, Russel Crowe has been tapped to portray the MCU's Zeus, the Greek Pantheon equivalent to Asgard's Odin. Crowe's involvement as Zeus means that other important deities in Greek mythology like Ares, Hades, and Artemis could potentially appear.
Now, a new rumor indicated that another God from the MCU's history could appear in the movie.
Thor 4 Rumored to Feature the Goddess Bast
The Cosmic Circus uncovered a listing that suggests that Black Panther Goddess Bast would appear in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Based on the evidence, the outlet revealed that actress Akosia Sabet has been cast for the role of Bastet, more commonly referred to as Bast. The Cosmic Circus pointed out that the report comes from both IMDB and Sabet's Showcast listing. Sabet is known for her roles in Winchester (2018) and Clickbait (2021).
For those unaware, Bast is a goddess from the Wakandan Mythos of the MCU. The character serves as the Panther Goddess that led a warrior shaman to the heart-shaped herb, a plant that can grant enhanced physical abilities and gives the user the ability to enter the Ancestral Plane.
The character appeared during Black Panther's opening sequence, with T'Challa retelling the story of how the first Black Panther came to be and how he united the five tribes of Wakanda after numerous conflicts.
Will Thor 4 Tease Wakanda's Current State?
This latest Thor: Love and Thunder rumor could indicate that the film will showcase many different Gods from several mythologies. This makes sense to establish Gorr the God's Butcher's dominance from the start.
Bass' potential appearance could also serve as the launchpad for other gods to appear, such as Moon Knight's Egyptian God Khonshu.
At this point, not much is known about the African nation after Avengers: Endgame. Goddess Bast's inclusion in Love and Thunder could also hint that the movie will potentially tease the current state of Wakanda.
Given that the next film after Love and Thunder will be Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, an appearance from the African nation could likely be in the cards as well. Gorr's action toward Bass may have severe ramifications for Wakanda, especially now that Kilmonger eradicated the heart-shaped herb during the first film.
T'Challa and the rest of Wakanda could've crafted a plan to recreate the heart-shaped herbs from scratch, but Gorr's encounter with Bass could've placed a halt to those efforts. Bass could meet her end at the hands of Gorr, thus spelling doom for the next generation of Black Panthers.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to premiere in theaters on July 8, 2022.
