Thor: Love and Thunder has arrived, making Thor the first (and only) of the original Avengers to break through the trilogy mark into a fourth solo installment--take that, Iron Man. That's right, the unlikely Norse god has somehow outlasted all his fellow Phase 1 superheroes and is still going strong--but the question is: What actually happens in Thor 4 and what does it mean for the Strongest Avenger?

　　We're going to break down the ending of Love and Thunder, including the post-credits stingers, here and now. This obviously means we're in for some major spoilers, so please proceed with caution and don't say we didn't warn you.

　　

Love and Thunder

Gorr (Christian Bale), empowered by the god-killing Necrosword, made it his mission to cut a bloody swath across the universe, killing any and all gods indiscriminately. But methodic diety genocide wasn't his primary mission. Instead, he was attempting to find a way to Eternity, a hidden mystical place at the center of the universe where a person could go to be granted a wish. Presumably Gorr's wish would be to wipe out gods that way, kind of like his own personal Infinity Gauntlet snap. In fact, the MCU's take on Eternity not only sounds a lot like a much simpler (and less fetch quest oriented) version of the Infinity Gauntlet, it also sounds like the book of Vashanti from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Apparently the MCU is just loosey-goosey with all powerful MacGuffins these days. Who could have guessed?

　　To orchestrate this plan, Gorr kidnapped Asgardian children to lure Thor, who had Stormbreaker, into the shadow realm which would allow Stormbreaker to unlock the gate to Eternity and grant Gorr access. Most of these details are left unelaborated upon--like why the recently created (as of Infinity War) Stormbreaker would be a key component in an ancient interdimensional puzzle box--but given Thor's weapons' semi-sentient nature, it's completely possible that these threads will be explored in time.

　　Following a massive showdown, where in both the Asgardian children (deputized as little Thors) and Jane as Thor played massive roles, Gorr was able to open the gate to Eternity but Thor was able to follow him, interrupting his plans to, presumably, wish for the death of all gods. Instead, Thor convinces him to wish for the resurrection of his daughter--with the understanding that the Necrosword was actively killing Gorr and he would not survive to see her. It's unclear why the wish couldn't have also stipulated that Gorr could have survived--but it's similarly unclear if killing all the gods with his wish was ever actually Gorr's plan all along.

　　Gorr's wish does work, killing him but reviving his daughter which Thor takes into his care--she is far from a normal child though, as she is empowered by Eternity and able to wield Stormbreaker. The two of them move on to become adventurers--"Love and Thunder" traveling the universe to protect those in need with Thor acting as her "uncle."

　　

Eternity?

While this technically isn't the first time Eternity has been mentioned in the MCU (it was, offhandedly, referenced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 during Peter's vision from Ego) it is the first time it's been actively explored--though a lot is left unclear. In the comics, is an "abstract concept," the sentient personification of time and the origin of consciousness in the universe. Like most abstract ideas in Marvel comics, this can mean a lot--and it changes frequently. What's more, what we see in the movie bears very little resemblance to what we see in the comics, and the idea of it becoming (or empowering) a child is brand new for the MCU.

　　That said, it's difficult to hazard many guesses about what this new child--Love--will actually mean going forward. We can assume she'll continue to be Thor's niece/ward for a while, that her powers will continue to grow, and she will eventually be a major player in some way, sometime down the road. But neither she, nor Thor, have any confirmed appearances lined up in Phase 4, so it is difficult to know when that will be.

　　We do know, however, that Thor will return at some point, thanks to a helpful title card at the end of the credits, we just don't know when.

　　

Jane, Valkyrie, and Everyone Else

Of course, Thor and the newly created Love aren't the only people in the mix for this movie. There's also the newly crowned Mighty Thor, Jane Foster, who, following a cancer diagnosis is empowered by Mjolnir to become a superhero herself. Similar to the comics, Mjolnir gives Jane superpowers and health, but unlike the comics, it doesn't act as a temporary cure for her cancer--she is still actively dying, even when she is empowered, and running on a ticking clock.

　　Naturally, this comes to a head in the final battle with Gorr when Jane uses Mjolnir to destroy Gorr's Necrosword, effectively killing him and herself. Her sacrifice is honored by acceptance into Valhalla, which we see in the second post-credits scene, with Heimdall there to greet her and welcome her.

　　Meanwhile, Valkyrie returns to New Asgard where she continues to work as king. Sif also arrives in town, following a brief injury that cost her her arm, and works to start training the next generation of Asgardian warriors along with Valkyrie.

　　Of those Asgardian kids, the most important is likely to be Axel, the newly introduced son of Heimdall, who played a major role in helping Thor and the team find the abducted kids under Gorr's scheme. We don't know when he'll be showing up again, however, or what the future might hold for him.

　　

The Post-Credits Scene(s)

As previously mentioned, the second post credits scene was a stinger to assure fans that, despite her death, Jane Foster was going on to live in Valhalla. It included a cameo from Heimdall, who died in Infinity War--but, naturally, that wasn't the only scene to look out for.

　　Before that, the mid-credits scene opens back on the Greek pantheon, with Zeus (previously thought to have been killed) speaking to someone, recuperating from his wounds. He has an obvious grudge against Thor now, after Thor humiliated him and wounded him, and he plans to do something about it. He's going to send his son--Hercules (played by Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein) to hunt Thor down.

　　We only get a split second look at Hercules, agreeing to Zeus's command, but it looks like he means business.

　　When, where, and how this conflict will bubble over for either character is unclear--but certainly something to look out for in the future.

　　Thor: Love and Thunder is in theaters now.