Not long ago, sports fans and superhero fans were two very different types of people, each distrusting the other. But those days are long gone, as demonstrated by not only the vast popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also by the fact that Disney uses sporting events to advertise its new offerings. Just this year, Marvel dropped trailers for both Moon Knight and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness during the Super Bowl. Over the weekend, Marvel announced plans to continue that tradition, thanks to a video shared via Twitter featuring Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi, and stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. In the video, Waititi boasts about his innovative way to share with the world the news of the latest trailer for his sequel to Thor: Ragnarok. You’ll have to watch for yourself to see Waititi’s idea in action, but anyone familiar with the Kiwi filmmaker’s wry sense of humor should know what to expect. More importantly, the announcement shows that the new trailer will release during Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, which happens this evening. Coverage of the game between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics will begin at 8:30 pm EST and will air on Disney-owned network ABC. At this point, we don’t know when exactly during the game we’ll see the trailer released. However, The Direct has done some digging to find that mid-game trailers from the past have been released approximately 30 minutes into coverage or during halftime. Obviously, Disney won’t release specifics because they would prefer that audiences watch the entire match. Exciting as those images have been, there are still many questions fans have. We know that Love and Thunder will partially adapt the great comic book arc “The God Butcher” by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribić. But we have not yet seen an official image of the titular God Butcher Gor, played by Christian Bale, in his first superhero movie role since The Dark Knight Rises. Also coming with him from the Distinguished Competition’s cinematic universe is Russell Crowe as the god Zeus, whose arm and back were quickly glimpsed in the teaser. But perhaps the biggest remaining question surrounds Thor’s half-brother Loki. Thanks to Tom Hiddleston’s endless charm, Loki was the breakout character of the first Thor movie and has appeared in both sequels, even when the narrative did not seem to demand it. While some certainly do expect Loki to vex his brother once again, others contend that he should not. Will Loki show his face during tonight’s playoff match? You never know with the god of mischief.
