Thor: Love and Thunder new photo stars Natalie Portman with Tessa, teases connection to Moon Knight and Black Panther

A new image for Thor: Love and Thunder has confirmed the upcoming Marvel movie has close ties to Moon Knight and Black Panther:

Wakanda Forever. A new still from the film made its way online on Monday, showing a convening of the gods. In it, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster/Mighty Thor is seen taking a seat alongside Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie. It’s not clear where the two exactly are. Interestingly, at the bottom right of the picture, another character appears, in what looks to be a panther-like costume.

Fans on social media were quick to point out that this could be Bast, the Egyptian god who has ties to Moon Knightand Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Bast is part of the Ennead, the group of Egyptian gods we were introduced to in Moon Knight’s Disney live-action series.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Bast is also the goddess who led the first Black Panther – Bashenga – to the Heart-Shaped Herb, the source of the Black Panther’s superpowers.

Thor: Love and Thunder will release in theaters worldwide on July 8. In the fourth instalment of the Thor series, following the events in Avengers:

Endgame, Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) declares that his “superhero-ing days are over” as he looks to start a new chapter of self-discovery. On April 18, Marvel Studios released the first teaser trailer for the forthcoming film, giving us a brief glimpse of what’s in store for Thor.

The minute-and-a-half clip — set to the tune of Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine — begins with Thor declaring his retirement, just after the fall of his kingdom Asgard in the last Avengers film.

The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Jaimie Alexander, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Jeff Goldblum, and Vin Diesel.