Spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder follow.
Thor: Love and Thunder concludes with a major status quo shift for the titular space Viking, as he becomes a surrogate father to Gorr's resurrected daughter, Love. This could serve as a happy ending for the God of Thunder if Chris Hemsworth wasn't interested in reprising the role, but the now familiar title card did tell us that "Thor will be back."
“That was a surprise to me, too. I’m not joking,” director Waititi tells Insider. “I saw it in the theater and I was like, ‘Oh, shit. Really?’ Even Chris was like, ‘What?’ But, of course he’ll be back. He’s the best character. I mean, I may be a little biased, but he’s the most fun to watch.”
Marvel Studios' future plans for the Odinson are still a mystery (he may not return until the next big MCU event film), but if Love and Thunder continues to perform well over the course of its theaterical run, another solo movie is a definite possibility. The question is, will Waititi step back behind the camera?
“Now, I don’t know what would be next. I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it,” the filmmaker confirmed. “But it would need to be something surprising and unexpected for me to want to do it. Like what would be the new take? The battles and all the fighting is fine, but I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story. Like making just a $5 million movie with no fighting at all, just Thor on a road trip. Like ‘Nebraska.'”
Though Love and Thunder appears to have been a hit with general audiences, critics weren't quite so enamored (the movie currently sits at a mediocre 67% on Rotten Tomatoes), and many hardcore fans of the character were unhappy with the more comedic/silly tone of Waititi's films.
With this in mind, we're not really sure Waititi's return to the franchise would be welcomed with open arms, but again, it's all about that bottom line for the studio.
Would you like to see Taika Waititi return to direct a fifth Thor movie? Drop us a comment down below.