Thor was an effective introduction for the MCU's take on the Asgardian superhero, and while Thor: The Dark World wasn't the Game of Thrones-inspired adventure we'd hoped for, it was still a serviceable sequel that pitted the Avenger against a forgettable villain in Malekith.
Thor: Ragnarok wasn't to everyone's liking but still felt like a breath of fresh air for the character; unfortunately, Marvel Studios gave filmmaker Taika Waititi a little too much freedom with Love and Thunder, and the result was a movie even Chris Hemsworth has acknowledged was too silly.
Now, scooper Daniel Richtman is claiming to have learned that Thor 5 will boast a much darker tone than Waititi's movies. That's going to be welcomed by fans keen to see the God of Thunder get a little more serious rather than him constantly cracking jokes and doing the splits!
It's added that Marvel Studios wants a director who has experience with "serious work" to helm the next instalment, with Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and The Creator helmer Gareth Edwards said to be one of the filmmakers being eyed for the job.
We'd recommend taking all of this with a pinch of salt for now, but it sounds like the Thor franchise is about to take a step in the right direction. The tonal shift shouldn't be too jarring, though we'd bet on much of what Waititi added to the franchise (Korg and Love, for example) being ditched.
"I feel like we’d probably have to close the book if I ever did it again, you know what I mean?" Hemsworth said of what we could see from a possible Thor 5 earlier this year. "I feel like it probably warrants that. I feel like it’d probably be the finale, but that’s not based on anything anyone’s told me or any sort of plans."
"You have this birth of a hero, the journey of a hero, then the death of a hero, and I don’t know...am I at that stage? Who knows?"
If this is really where the God of Thunder's story ends, then putting comedy aside for a darker tone will be a must. Whether the movie will come out before or after the Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars is hard to say, but we'd be shocked if Hemsworth isn't in one or both of those projects.
Marvel Studios has yet to officially announce Thor 5, though Waititi did recently say the movie is in development without him.
What do you hope to see from Thor 5?