New 'Thor: Love and Thunder' Image Teases Connection With 'Black Panther 2' and 'Moon Knight'

Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is fully underway, but many titles such as Shang-Chi and Eternals have focused mainly on introducing its new superheroes without much reference to the rest of the MCU. Luckily, some of the original Avengers such as Spider-Man and Doctor Strange have contributed to this aspect, and now Thor: Love and Thunder are looking to bring the interconnectedness of the massive superhero franchise even further.

Spotted in a new image of the upcoming Taika Waititi film that has surfaced, we see both Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie and Natalie Portman's Mighty Thor convening in a similar way as the Illuminati in Multiverse of Madness, but while it's no surprise for the two to be appearing on screen, fans have noticed that a new character has found its way into the Chris Hemsworth-led movie, sitting just below the two in the right bottom corner. Given her outfit, some believe her to be Bast, a god that Wakandans worship.

The character was first introduced in Ryan Coogler's original Black Panther but only materialized as a vision during the opening sequence, and now fans will finally see her in the flesh as portrayed by Akosia Sabet, confirming previous rumors of her casting. Interestingly, aside from her potential ties to Black Panther 2, Bast was also notably a part of the Egyptian Ennead, as mentioned in Moon Knight.

Of course, how everything will come together is yet to be seen, but Marvel has had a great track record in bringing all its separate superhero franchises together in a jaw-dropping fashion, so fans of the MCU definitely have something to look forward to.

Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive at theaters on July 8.

In other related news, Disney+ has leaked the release date for She-Hulk.