‘Thor 4’ could give the God of Thunder’s canine companion his MCU debut

Thor 4 will be a strange and wild time.

Marvel Studios has yet to officially confirm much about the film’s plot, but its craziness seems already apparent. Indeed, with Thor: Ragnarok Writer-director Taika Waititi back at the helm next year Thor: Love and Thunder, it promises to be an even more ambitious sequel to that acclaimed predecessor of 2017.

Early reports and leaks suggest the film will be looking more at the darker side of Marvel’s God of Thunder comics than any previous one. Thor movie, with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) set to transform into The Mighty Thor and characters like Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder set to make appearances. There is no reason to believe Love and thunder will not present other, less known Thor comic book characters either.

The theory – Set photos of Thor: Love and Thunder revealed earlier this year that Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder will appear in the highly anticipated Marvel sequel. In the comics, the characters are a pair of mystical and powerful goats that pull Thor’s chariot across the cosmos.

Those who know the characters naturally took their inclusion in Thor: Love and Thunder as confirmation of something long suspected about the film, namely that it will see Waititi and co. dive head first into the Thor comics in an effort to bring out their deepest strangeness. With that in mind, there is a very a good chance Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder weren’t the only MCU pets to appear in Love and thunder.

Here is the big question: could we Thori also debuting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

God’s best friend – In the comics, Thori is a Hel-Hound – one of Garm and Hel-Wolf’s seven puppies – who is initially “adopted” by Kid Loki. Thori betrays Loki and is then taken away by Hel-Wolf.

Eventually, Thori is captured by The Collector and held in the Marvel Villain’s Museum, before being released by Thor. In the comics, the Hel-Hound, along with Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, has stuck alongside the God of Thunder ever since.

All that to say that, with Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder, it seems possible that Thori will make her debut. Not only is the character a legitimately fearsome and powerful beast, but he’s also hilarious and fiercely loyal. As a talking dog obsessed with erasure and chaos, he would make a great on-screen companion for Chris Hemsworth’s Thor – especially with someone like Taika Waititi writing their scenes together.

How? ‘Or’ What could he appear in Thor: Love and Thunder? It is less clear; then again, we have no idea how Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder will be introduced either. As far as we know, Thor could run into Thori at some point in his journey. It wouldn’t need to be more complicated than that.

The Reverse Analysis – Thor: Ragnarok marked a major course correction for the Thor frankness, moving it away from the darker, more serious tone of its first two installments in favor of something more liberated and light. The move has paid off for Marvel, and all signs suggest that Waititi is going to lean more in that direction with Thor: Love and Thunder.

Hopefully the film will also give Thori, the God of Thunder’s most unique comic book companion, a well-deserved debut on the big screen.

Thor: Love and Thunder is set to hit theaters on May 6, 2022.