Christian Bale Is The Villain In 'Thor: Love And Thunder'

Christian Bale might be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Dark Knight Trilogy actor is reportedly in talks to join the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder for director Taika Waititi. Bale would be joining returning franchise actors Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Natalie Portman. The big question is: who would Bale be playing?Update: Well, now we know who he's playing. Sort of. Collider has confirmed, via Tessa Thompson, that Bale is playing the villain in the film – though we still don't know his character name. The original story continues below.Collider has the scoop on Christian Bale possibly joining the Thor: Love and Thunder cast. This is obviously kind of a big deal. Not only is Bale a major star, but this would also mark Bale's first return to superhero movies since 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. Actors from DC movies popping-up in Marvel titles is nothing new at this point, but this might be the most prominent example yet. The actor can currently be seen in Ford v Ferrari but doesn't have anything else lined-up at the moment, so his schedule is open.

But who is Bale playing? Collider says the role is being kept under wraps, but I'm just going to go out on a limb here and assume he's being sought after for some sort of villain/antagonist character. Perhaps Gorr, the God Butcher, or perhaps a brand new character created specifically for the film. We're just speculating wildly here, folks.

Full details for Love and Thunder have yet to be revealed yet, but the story will bring Natalie Portman's Jane Foster back to the MCU for the first time since Thor: The Dark World. Unused footage of Portman from Thor: The Dark World was used in Avengers: Endgame. Portman's Jane is expected to take up the Thor mantle in the film, as the character did in the comics.

In addition to that, Thompson told Comic-Con that her character Valkyrie "As new king [of Asgard], she needs to find her queen." Taika Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok, is returning to write and direct Love and Thunder.

Thor: Love and Thunder is due out November 5, 2021.