There’s plenty of things that have folks excited for Thor: Love & Thunder, be it the debut of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster or the film’s purported groundbreaking queerness. (For an MCU film, I mean.) Depending on who you are, though, another reason to get excited is seeing Chris Hemsworth’s titular hero get his clothes blasted off by Russell Crowe’s Zeus, baring it all in such a way that literally all the women and guards right next to Zeus faint and fall to the ground. This is pixelated in the trailer itself, but the film proper will show Thor’s butt during what appears to be an extensive scene that even features him fighting in the nude. Presumably, the frontal shots during this set piece will just hi-lariously play coy and carefully placed weapons and other objects to hide Thor’s hammer.
According to Hemsworth during the Love & Thunder premiere earlier this week, he excited to bump up the requisite Shirtless Marvel Man Scene. Talking to Variety, he admitted that he’s wanted a moment like this since he had to take his shirt off back in the original 2011 Thor. “It was 10 years in the making,” he laughed. “First time I played Thor I took my shirt off and I thought, ‘You know what’s gonna sweeten this… a decade from now it’s all gonna come off.”
Previously, he’s bared it all in 2013's racing biopic Rush, so he wasn’t too uncomfortable with getting to show his “very big pair of cheeks,” even as it’s technically breaking ground for the MCU. For director Taika Waititi, the scene was a perfect opportunity to show off its leading man’s rippling bod. Since Hemsworth’s supposedly retiring from the role after this movie, it felt fitting to let him go on a somewhat nude note, and vindicate his exercise routine. “Chris works so hard,” said Waititi, “you’ve got to show it off. Don’t cover it up with all these suits and the cape and stuff, it’s not fair!”
Thor: Love & Thunder, starring Chris Hemsworth’s ass, hits theaters on July 8, and our review of the film will come closer to release.
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