Though last year's Thor: Love and Thunder was far from a flop (it actually performed very well at the box office) and wasn't exactly lambasted by critics (it sits at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes), it was not well-received by the majority of MCU fans.
Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarök injected a lot more comedy into the franchise, but the perception seems to be that his follow-up overdid it on the humor to the point that it was simply too difficult to take the story - which also dealt with some pretty heavy emotional themes - seriously.
As it turns out, star Chris Hemsworth also feels that Love and Thunder became a bit "too silly."
While speaking to GQ, the Aussie actor reveals that some of his kids' friends watched the movie and gave him their feedback.
“It’s a bunch of eight-year-olds critiquing my film. ‘We thought this one had too much humour, the action was cool but the VFX weren’t as good,’” he recalls. “I cringe and laugh equally at it. I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly.”
“It’s always hard being in the centre of it and having any real perspective," he adds. "I love the process, it’s always a ride. But you just don’t know how people are going to respond.”
As for his future as Thor, Hemsworth would only say that he's waiting to see “what they have to offer creatively [and] if there is something new.”
Hemsworth is expected to return as the God of Thunder for Avengers: Secret Wars (if not The Kang Dynasty), but he's previously indicated that he feels it might be time to kill off the character!
"Yeah, for sure. I feel like we’d probably have to close the book if I ever did it again, you know what I mean? 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?"
What do you make of Hemsworth's comments? Have you revisited Love and Thunder since seeing it in the theatre? Be sure to let us know in the usual place.