It was a very different time when Marvel last departed New Asgard. When Avengers: Endgame ended, Chris Hemsworth’s character, Thor, named Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) the new King of Asgard. In Love and Thunder, Thor leaves Earth to join the Guardians of the Galaxy on a journey to discover who he is, and that’s where we first see him. Although New Asgard is still home to Asgardian refugees and the offspring of their society’s lost heroes, it has altered significantly since the last film. Since the blip, the MCU’s world has been forever altered. It wasn’t long before New Asgard, where the events of the Avengers movie had taken place, had become a destination where people could enjoy the lighter parts of the films while still mourning the death of heroes like Iron Man and Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson). Capitalism has thrived in New Asgard, which was once a utopia.
To capitalise on Thor’s burgeoning popularity as a character, theme park developers have turned the village that was going to be Thor’s new home into an actual Avengers Campus (theme park, not headquarters). Is New Asgard influenced to the extent that it is profiting from it? To begin with, it’s great to see the Asgardians back in action! As performers reenact the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth reprise their roles from Thor: Ragnarok. In addition, Melissa McCarthy’s Hela joins them as they narrate the killing of Odin. McCarthy’s real-life husband Ben Falcone, who plays an unknown player, joins them for a final curtain call, which makes for a charming finale to the show.
Who might we expect to see portraying Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Valkyrie in the future, given the developing trend of these performers dramatising some of the most devastating times in Thor’s life? When strolling around the town, you’ll see that the once-quiet streets are now clogged with sellers and stalls hawking whatever food-themed or brilliantly titled products they can find. King Valkyrie appears in a dentistry or Old Spice advertisement when the group’s attention is directed to the television. The sea off the coast, with cruise ships anchored, is probably the most fascinating sight.
And then there’s the Norse-themed booze ship that Thor, Jane, Korg (Taika Waititi), and Valkyrie later commandeer to traverse the Bifrost utilising Stormbreaker as an engine and their goat-like navigators. Even though New Asgard is a commercialised town, at its core, it is a community of individuals who have weathered tragedy after calamity. Even if Thor: Love and Thunder depicts a fabricated aspect of the settlement, it also highlights the community’s fortitude following the stealing of its youth and future. As King Valkyrie helped lead the charge that finally resulted in Thor’s rescue of the children, it is safe to conclude that New Asgard is in excellent hands (even if she also enjoys a brand sponsorship). Traditional capitalism-based systems, such as New Asgard, are shown to have a dual nature. Excited about the arrival of New Asgard.