Thor 4 leak reveals a surprising shift in Marvel's Phase 4 plan
Don’t expect to see Dr. Darcy Lewis show up in the next Thor film.
WandaVision could have a huge impact on Marvel’s other Phase Four titles. In fact, the current consensus among fans is that the Disney+ show’s story will spill over into both Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That doesn’t mean every Phase Four film and TV show will connect back to WandaVision though, and a new casting development signals that Thor: Love and Thunder may be one of the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe titles not affected by the events of WandaVision.
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A Thor 4 leak?
Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis made her long-awaited return to the MCU last week in Episode 4 of WandaVision. It was the first time the character had appeared since her role in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. But even though Dr. Lewis got her start in the MCU in the first two Thor films, it doesn’t sound like her return in WandaVision will continue into Thor: Love and Thunder.
Speaking with IGN, Dennings revealed that the likelihood of Darcy showing up in Love and Thunder is slim. “I have not gotten a call so I kind of doubt it since they’re shooting it right now so probably not," she said, "but anything Marvel ever asks of me the answer’s always yes."
Kat Dennings in WandaVision.
Thor 4’s Marvel Connections
Thor: Love and Thunder is shaping up to be a massive MCU film. Not only is Hemsworth’s Thor returning in it, but so is Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, and several other characters from the Thor franchise. Christian Bale is also set to make his MCU debut as the film’s villain, Gorr the God Butcher, whose presence in the MCU may extend past Love and Thunder.
To top things off, most of the Guardians of the Galaxy are set to make appearances in the film as well — just in case its cast of familiar faces didn’t already seem big enough. So, with all of that taken into consideration, it makes total sense why writer-director Taika Waititi might have chosen not to include any more characters, including Dennings’ Darcy Lewis.
However, given Lewis’ presence in WandaVision, the news of her absence from Thor: Love and Thunder does call into question its possible connections to other Phase 4 films. At the very least, it seems like Love and Thunder’s connections to the multiverse-focused story told across WandaVision, Spider-Man 3, and Doctor Strange 2 will be minimal.
Kat Dennings and Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World.
The Inverse Analysis — There’s still quite a bit about Phase 4 of the MCU that fans don’t know. While we've been able to put together a general arc connecting WandaVision, Spider-Man 3, and Doctor Strange 2, there are still a number of other high-profile movies on the way that remain shrouded in mystery.
It’s possible Thor: Love and Thunder won’t factor into Phase 4’s Scarlet Witch or multiverse storyline but will deal more directly with some of the events in The Eternals, Shang-Chi, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — to name just a few possibilities. There’s also the potential for Thor: Love and Thunder to be a totally standalone film — one that bears no real narrative link to any future MCU films. It wouldn’t be the first time Marvel’s done that.
No matter what, it’s still a little bit disappointing that Darcy won’t be in Thor: Love and Thunder, following her delightful return in WandaVision.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to hit theaters on May 6th, 2022.
