Love & Thunder Theory: Thor Uses Matt Damon’s Character To Replace Loki

The upcoming Thor: Love And Thunder is likely to be the first Thor solo film without Tom Hiddleston’s Loki playing foil to the god of thunder – but a new theory explores the possibility that the Asgardian actor played by Matt Damon in Thor: Ragnarok might return, to once again substitute for Loki. In Ragnarok, Matt Damon portrayed a sympathetic Loki in a play-within-a-play, arranged by the god of mischief. Now that Loki appears to be gone for good, at least in the regular MCU continuity, his absence as an erstwhile ally and antagonist will be felt by the series, and how that will be addressed has sparked no end of speculation.

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Love and Thunder has already announced casting for continued adventures by the Asgard Players, suggesting that the acting troupe will return to retell the story of Ragnarok. Recently released casting information, including Melissa McCarthy portraying Hela alongside the returning Damon as Loki, and Luke Hemsworth as Thor, indicates that the actors are continuing the story that was being told in Ragnarok. As the play that they were performing in Ragnarok enjoyed positive feedback from the courtly audience that was watching it, it’s not difficult to imagine that they would continue to experience success amidst the Asgardian community on Earth.

With the casting of Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher, the return of Damon’s Loki actor could have additional significance. A comic book antagonist now being reimagined for the MCU, Gorr has a prevailing hatred of all gods and god-figures, and with that in mind, it may be more perilous than it had previously been for the Asgardian players to take up the roles of the Asgard royal family. With Loki’s efforts to rule as king thwarted in Ragnarok and his subsequent passing at the hands of Thanos, Damon’s character could be called upon to sub in as a distraction or even to play Loki’s role in one of Thor and Loki’s maneuvers, like “Get help”.

Thor 4 Set Photos Suggest A New Asgardian Play

Between set photos and casting announcements, a new Asgardian play featuring the actors who performed at the court of Loki (at the time pretending to be Odin), may be a recurring plot element. This could be an effort to contextualize the changes between Ragnarok and Love and Thunder for viewers who declined to watch Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, thus allowing the film to be approachable without having to have kept up-to-date with all of the films in the franchise. Since theater seems to be an important part of Asgardian society, with command performances at Odin’s court, Matt Damon reprising the role as Loki in a play-within-a-play could help explain the god of mischief’s absence.

All of that said, the existence of Hela in the play, as performed by Megan McCarthy, suggests that the events of Ragnarok are being retold, which would still be quite vivid in the minds of the Asgardian refugees on Earth. To them, this would be lived experience – if the Asgardians that survived the trip from Asgard to Earth were the target audience. While having the same players as were seen in Ragnarok suggests that this is the same theatrical troupe, it could be being performed in other parts of Earth, for an audience of humans as a cultural exchange – or it could be a part of a performance, intended to either educate or deceive Gorr the God Butcher.

Matt Damon’s Character Can Replace The Real Loki

While Loki’s own show could redeem him as a hero, Thor’s adventures tend to benefit from having an on-again-off-again ally and antagonist in the form of his younger adoptive brother. Although Loki’s physical durability stems from his ice giant heritage, and his natural cunning from years of practice, Loki’s illusions are sorcery, taught to him by Frigga. Certainly, Loki is an undeniable expert in their use, but this means that this set of abilities is not unique to him, and a professional Asgardian actor might have some similar tricks up his sleeve. Were Thor in search of someone to assist with Loki’s usual role in their adventures, an actor familiar with his (fictionalized) escapades and with some of the same abilities could step up.

Asgardians are naturally resilient – although Odin nurtured Thor’s magical abilities and divine nature, both Lady Sif and the Warriors Three joined him on many adventures despite having no divine power ascribed to them. Loki was able to trick Odin through his cunning and guile, and this quality could be mirrored by an Asgardian actor, albeit less practiced in the specific heroics and tricks that Loki worked over the years. If Thor were to sweep a reluctant actor out of a performance of a show into a performance of a lifetime, the actor character might even develop a resentment towards Thor that mirrors that of the character that he portrays.

Why Thor Needs Loki To Defeat Gorr The God Butcher

Characters in the MCU have some understandable distance from their comics counterparts, but the introduction of Gorr the God Butcher through casting title suggests that he may be the primary antagonist for Love and Thunder. A significant aspect of Gorr’s character in the comics is an antipathy toward all god-figures and divine beings, and Gorr as the villain in Thor 4 would have quite the assortment of Asgardians available to him. What Gorr does not innately have is a perfect knowledge of the gods – if someone were to point out Damon’s Loki actor as “Loki, god of mischief”, he would not have any specific reason to doubt this identity. This “Loki” could then be used as bait – particularly since many beings across the galaxy would point to Loki as a valid target for Gorr.

Alternately, Thor may need someone who can approximate Loki’s behavior and powers in order to rally allies to his banner. Thor’s journey through his films has long been one of self-discovery, but although he has grown more subtle and nuanced, he doesn’t have innate gifts as a diplomat or public speaker. Moreover, there are residents of other parts of the nine realms, like Surtur that Thor defeated, who wouldn’t give Thor the time of day, but who might have warmer feelings toward Loki – and might not yet have heard of his death. With Surtur as an example, the power required to raze Asgard would likely be useful against Gorr, and Loki’s aid most recently allowed Surtur’s return to fulfill his destiny and destroy Asgard. Having a substitute Loki might allow for that to translate into a shaky alliance.

Whether Damon’s appearance in the upcoming film is just a cameo or a more substantive role, the performance given by the Asgardian players in Ragnarok was extremely funny, and showed a side of Asgard’s culture beyond martial prowess. Recapping this moment in Thor: Love And Thunder – even as a brief amusing head nod to the previous film – would not only link the franchise together, but also show even seemingly unimportant MCU scenes can have a significant impact down the line.

Key Release Dates
  • Black Widow (2021)Release date: Jul 09, 2021
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
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