Natalie Portman takes up Mjolnir in first Thor: Love and Thunder trailer

Thor: Love and Thunder is going to be a lot of things. Following Thor (Chris Hemsworth) linking up with the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of Avengers: Endgame, the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is clearly as much a Guardians movie as a Thor movie. It is also the second MCU film directed by Taika Waititi after Thor: Ragnarok, and the first to feature Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) ascendant as the new King of Asgard.

But most importantly, Love and Thunder will also be the movie where we see Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) become a new version of Thor — and the film's first official trailer gives us our long-awaited first look at Portman as thunder god. It's an awesome evolution for a character who we've mostly only seen onscreen as a damsel in distress before now.

The upcoming film is clearly inspired by the 2014-2018 Thor comics by writer Jason Aaron and artist Russell Dauterman that saw Foster take up Mjolnir after the Odinson became unworthy. The opening shot of the trailer, which shifts between three different phases in the life of Hemsworth's Thor, also reflects the influence of Aaron's comics, which often did the same kind of time-shifting storytelling — although so far there's no sign of old white-haired King Thor at the end of time on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Apparently, we'll have to wait and see if that stage of the character's life makes it into the movie. No sign of Christian Bale as Aaron's creation Gorr the God-Butcher either, although we do get a glimpse (from behind) of Russell Crowe as Zeus.

Marvel Studios; Marvel Compare Natalie Portman's depiction of Jane Foster Thor to artist Russell Dauterman's from Marvel comics.

According to the new trailer, it looks like the old Thor gives up his powers and responsibilities willingly — planting his hammer Stormbreaker in the ground as he vows to give up war for peace. "My superhero'ing days are over," he declares, and it sounds like he means it — we see him palling around the galaxy with the Guardians and making out with a blue-haired pirate lady. But he doesn't seem particularly pleased in the trailer's final scene, when Mjolnir flies over his head to rest in the outstretched hand of the new female Thor. Mjolnir doesn't appear to care about gender, after all — if you're worthy enough to pick it up, that means you're Thor.

In a tweet, Hemsworth described the new film as "a classic Thor adventure" that's "big, loud, crazy, and full of heart."

Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8. Check out the trailer above.

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