Greetings, Asgardians and Midgardians alike (“Midgard” is what the Asgardians call “Earth.”) Do you have your preferred beverage in hand — a glass of mead, perhaps? Good.
Today we are going to talk about Thor, everyone’s favorite space Viking, in Taika Waititi’s productions for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s right, friends and foes ― today, we are going to discuss the 2022 film Thor: Love and Thunder.
There are many reasons to want to watch this film. But — to be perfectly honest — as a bi woman, when I heard that Tessa Thompson was going to be wearing a slew of gorgeous costumes, I could not resist.
SPOILER ALERT
Although some of the violence in this superhero movie is cartoonish —some of Thor’s henchmen spurt gold glitter when injured instead of blood — it tackles some serious and disturbing themes, such as cancer. But in this review, I’ll focus on its representation of bisexuality, for which I’ve rated it 3.5 unicorns (for a guide to our unicorn scale, see this definition).
Thor: Love and Thunder charts the continuing adventures of the blonde Norse god, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), after the hijinks detailed in the previous film, Ragnarok, and incorporates some of the more dramatic elements of the Avengers/Thanos storylines. We also catch up with Thor’s ex-girlfriend, astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who is on a journey of self-discovery, following a recent bout of illness that has sent her life in a surprising direction.
What I Liked:
Perhaps the most striking thing about this installment of the saga is the continued badassery of the charismatic Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). Not only do we get to see her in action as a wildly competent king of New Asgard, but discussions of her queerness abound.
In Omnipotence City, where she and Jane are waiting to steal Zeus’s thunderbolt, she expresses her enthusiasm for an orgy of the gods:
Zeus: Where are we gonna hold this year’s orgy?
Jane: Is this guy for real?
Valkyrie: I’m not mad at it.
Gotta love a woman who is into open and healthy sexual expression with deities of multiple and no genders.
Only a few minutes later, after Thor has been disrobed by Zeus, Valkyrie takes a moment to appreciate his charms.
Jane: Should we help him?
Valkyrie: In a minute. Grape?
Towards the end of the film Endgame, Valkyrie rebuffs Thor when he misinterprets a friendly gesture as an invitation to kiss her — but she seems to be more motivated by repulsion at his downtrodden state than at his body. Now, she seems to not only enjoy seeing him embarrassed, but to relish the view of his nakedness.
Valkyrie then kisses the hand of one of Zeus’s ladies-in-waiting (Rita Ora, in a cameo role) before taking off across the rainbow-colored Bifrost Bridge. Bi Frost! The reference to bisexuality is right there in the name.
There are plenty of other queer elements to enjoy as well. There are space dolphins splashing peacefully through the cosmos in their polycules. Korg’s species has a same-sex lovemaking ritual: the movie closes on him performing said ritual with a creature named Dwayne. And Valkyrie not only acknowledges that she had a same-sex lover who died in battle but relates that she has “had so many special someones.”
What I Didn't Like:
Nothing. Not even the screaming goats. It was a joke as obvious as Sideshow Bob with the rakes — but somehow, they made it work.
The Rating:
Thor: Love & Thunder is so queer it hurts. Why can’t more movies be this colorful, fun, and deliciously gay? Even in the final credits, director Taika Waititi’s name is displayed against a backdrop of the colors of the bi flag. What are people afraid of? These themes, stories, and characters only make narratives more interesting and authentic ― yes, even in superhero movies!
Some people have pushed back against Natalie Portman’s claim that the film is “so gay” (which she means as a description, not a pejorative). I disagree with their assessments. This is probably the queerest addition to the MCU canon to date ― maybe even more so than Ragnarok. And this time, none of the queers died, as they did in Ragnarok. Fancy that.
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