Thor: Love and Thunder set photos hint at The Dark World-era flashback scenes

A new series of set photos from Thor: Love and Thunder suggest the Taika Waititi-directed movie will further explore Thor and Jane Foster’s relationship in flashback scenes.

Twitter user @NaberriePower has revealed images of Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder and Natalie Portman’s astrophysicist holding hands. No, they’re not back together: the pair are in wigs and costumes that heavily hint at this taking place close to when they were dating after the events of Thor: The Dark World.

While Thor has gone through the wringer in the MCU in recent years – he’s lost his home, his eye, and his brother – we’ve not really had a chance to delve back into his memory banks and discover how he split from Jane Foster.

With Portman’s Foster playing a major role in the upcoming fourth installment (wielding Mjolnir, no less), it seems like we could be on the verge of finding out why the two split up. Foster staring longingly at what could be a wedding ring in a jewelry storefront might play a part – even though Thor described their uncoupling as a "mutual dumping" in Thor: Ragnarok.

Joining Hemsworth and Portman in the upcoming Marvel Phase 4 movie is Christian Bale, who is likely playing villain Gorr the God Butcher. Russell Crowe has also confirmed he’s portraying Zeus, while Melissa McCarthy and Matt Damon have been spotted on set, potentially playing stage actors.

Marvel has recently delayed Thor: Love and Thunder until July 8, 2022. For more on how the MCU landscape has shifted in terms of release dates, check out our guide to new superhero movies.