Thor: Ragnarok was the reinvention Marvel Studios' God of Thunder so desperately needed, putting a comedic spin on the hero that freshened him up in a way that struck a chord with fans and critics alike. Thor: Love and Thunder continued in the same vein, but with filmmaker Taika Waititi allowed perhaps too much freedom, the sequel ended up being an overly silly mess.
One of the most poorly reviewed MCU movies alongside Eternals and Thor: The Dark World, it's clear something needs to change if the Odinson is to return for another solo adventure.
That's something Chris Hemsworth recently acknowledged in an interview with Happy Sad Confused.
"You look at Thor 1 and 2, they were quite similar. Ragnarok and Love and Thunder are similar. I think it’s about reinventing it," the actor explains. "I’ve had such a unique opportunity with Infinity War and Endgame to do very drastic things with the character. I enjoy that, I like keeping people on their toes. It keeps me on my toes. It keeps me invested."
"I’ve said this before but when it becomes too familiar, I think there’s a risk in getting lazy then because I know what I’m doing," Hemsworth adds. "I don’t know if I’m even invited back, but if I was, I think it would have to be a drastically different version in tone, everything, just for my own sanity [Laughs]. Thor lost his mind in that last one. He’s got to figure it out now."
We don't want to put words in his mouth, but it sounds an awful lot like Hemsworth realises Thor: Love and Thunder was perhaps a little too comedic. That might explain why he says the character "lost his mind," anyway, and everything from riding Stormbreaker like a witch's broom to those cheesy fight scenes leave us in agreement that a fresh start is needed.
What that will look like remains to be seen, though it would be nice to take Thor back to his roots for a fun, action-packed fantasy adventure. Waititi delivered a rare misfire with the movie, though a new director wouldn't be the worst idea in the world in order to shake things up.
What are your hopes for Thor in the MCU moving forward?