Thor - Marvel's third cinematic Avenger chronologically - is set to break the mold of MCU character trilogies with his fourth solo film, Thor: Love and Thunder. Directed by Thor: Ragnarok's Taika Waititi, Thor 4 not only stars Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder, but also Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Taika Waititi as Korg, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and surprisingly, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster/the Mighty Thor.
Set to release in theaters on July 8, 2022, Thor: Love and Thunder will finally reveal what Thor has been up to since he left with Guardians of the Galaxy after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The rest of the story, however, is anyone's guess, especially since Waititi claims that the film is "the craziest thing I've ever done."
As fans eagerly await a trailer and plot details, an official new LEGO set for Thor: Love and Thunder has been akin to Odin's Vault in terms of clues and information about this upcoming film, including how Thor intends to continue his Bifrost travels.
Thor 4 Merch Reveals Stormbreaker's New Role
In addition to Gorr the God Butcher's Venom-related weapon and Valkyrie's new title, the packaging for the official new Thor: Love and Thunder LEGO set seems to show Thor's "Goat Boat" traveling the Bifrost and led by legendary goats Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder.
Apart from the goats and the Viking ship itself, this is surprising since, in past Thor films, Idris Elba's all-seeing Heimdall was Asgard's gatekeeper of the Bifrost and its interdimensional travel between realms.
Heimdall oversaw the use of the Bifrost from his Asgardian Observatory; but after Asgard's destruction in Thor: Ragnarok, and then Heimdall's own death in Avengers: Infinity War, that ability seemed lost.
This all changed when Thor and Rocket traveled to Nidavellir in Avengers: Infinity War and commissioned Peter Dinklage's Eitri to forge the axe Stormbreaker. According to Eitri, this weapon was "meant to be the greatest in Asgard" and that "in theory, it could even summon the Bifrost."
This theory proved to be true, as Thor then used Stormbreaker to summon the Bifrost and travel to Wakanda for that crowd-pleaser of a moment during the film's climax.
And now, it looks like Stormbreaker's unique abilities won't just allow Thor to continue traveling between realms, but also his new Goat Boat, as evidenced by Stormbreaker being attached to the front of the LEGO Viking ship with Thor positioned at the bow.
An Axe-Powered Goat Boat?
Even though Taika Waititi seemingly took Chris Hemsworth's Thor in a different direction in terms of style and tone in Thor: Ragnarok, one constant has always been Thor's struggle with his identity and his need for his weapons.
In 2011's Thor, the God of Thunder's worth and heroism was seemingly tied to his hammer Mjolnir. In fact, throughout the character's arc in the MCU, Mjolnir has always been an extension of Thor Odinson himself.
Then, in Ragnarok, Waititi brings that plot point full circle when Thor discovers his power is within himself, not his hammer. Meanwhile, Stormbreaker in Infinity War signified the Avenger's newfound identity and his next chapter within the MCU.
Therefore, Stormbreaker's role in Love and Thunder was always a given for Thor's next story; but still, this creative use of the weapon is a bit of a surprise and yet another nod to how wild this fourth film looks to be.
It also implies that fans can expect plenty of Bifrost adventures in Thor 4; and since this Viking-esque LEGO vessel has already been revealed, fans might just see this ship sailing the rainbow-colored Bifrost sooner than later in Love and Thunder's debut trailer.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to release in theaters on July 8, 2022.
