The Marvel Cinematic Universe had a problem. They had this great character, built him up, created his world, and then had no clue what to do with the Mighty Thor. So, in a last ditch effort, they hired the hilarious Taika Waititi to spearhead the next Thor movie and gave him full creative reign to do as he pleased in the hopes of revitalizing the genre. And he sure did, creating one of the most beloved Marvel films in Thor: Ragnarok and gaining those Thor fans back. It was just what the character and the fandom needed at the time, and was just an altogether fun time, with newfound humor, exciting new characters, and excellent use of classic rock music.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

So, the golden question then becomes: how come Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder flopped so badly, leaving fans once again upset and dissatisfied with the Thor franchise? Was it because there was a built-up expectation from the previous film? Or a disconnect with directing? Or could it be, as outlined by CBR, that MCU fans are getting a bit tired of the childish humor that seems to be at the root of every MCU project now?

Here is a breakdown on what went wrong with Thor: Love and Thunder.

Incredibly High Expectations

     Marvel Studios

Now, it is understandable that sometimes the follow-up to a fantastic movie may fall short of fans’ expectations. We’ve seen that with many films, but that does not make the blow of Thor: Love and Thunder any less harsh. Riding off a very comedic movie and the rebranding of Thor, the MCU hadn’t had a comedy-driven movie in a while. From a thunderous ending of a saga in Avengers: Endgame, to Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and Eternals, it wasn’t necessarily wrong for audiences to expect a fun adventure from a well established character. However, when Love and Thunder ended up being a bit all over the place, and Thor became more of a dumbed-down, buff guy, the film didn’t satisfy viewers.

Another expectation it did not live up to: the promise of the film being visibly and unapologetically queer. With the original announcement of the iconic Valkyrie becoming the King of New Asgard, actress Tessa Thompson made remarks that she would need to find her Queen. Indeed, as far back as 2019, Thompson and Kevin Feige assured fans that Valkyrie would be the MCU’s first openly LGBTQ+ hero in Thor: Love and Thunder. What’s more, remarks from Waititi as well seemed to initially cement this promise: when asked “how gay is the movie,” he responded, according to Them, “Super gay.” As such, when the only truly queer parts of the film were Korg — a collection of rocks, really — finding a lover named Dwayne and Valkyrie kissing the hand of another woman, it’s no wonder that audiences were left disatisfied.

Gorr the God Butcher Versus Comedian Thor

With the defeat of Thanos, the MCU finally has a chance to explore some new and exciting villains. Actor Christian Bale did a phenomenal job of portraying the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder. Donned with skeletal-looking makeup, yellow eyes, and the ability to move through shadows, he embodies every child’s nightmare. Gorr also had an interesting backstory: angry at the gods for not saving his daughter, despite his devotion to them, he seeks out to destroy them because of their selfishness.

So, with an intriguing villain who looks terrifying, and a stellar performance by Bale, another downfall of Love and Thunder is how they treated the villain. While Bale is putting his all into being a dark and twisted creature of the shadows — playing him like a serious villain — Thor, on the other hand, seems preoccupied with seemingly witty remarks and sarcastic jabs (in between real jabs). It downplays Gorr’s severity, and the juxtaposition of a super serious villain with a hero who doesn’t take himself seriously enough ultimately cheapens the dynamics between the two.

Those Infuriating Screaming Goats

     Marvel Studios / Disney

It’s been much talked about, since Disney bought Marvel, that the MCU films have increasingly become more catered towards a younger audience. That also seems to be the case with the humor, especially in Thor: Love and Thunder. There is a whole bit (which lasts longer than it needed to) that centers around a pair of giant goats, and the only thing about them that is deemed funny is that they scream? Kind of like the famous 2014 start of social media humor. Now, a lot of things from the 2010s are coming back, like owl necklaces, and chevron patterns, but maybe the screaming goats should stay in 2014 among Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Where Trouble”. This is just one example of how the humor of the MCU isn’t really landing anymore, and is becoming more cringe-worthy than comedic.

Thor: Love and Thunder, even though it was released in the summer and played in theaters up until its Disney+ release, left fans displeased and unsatisfied, angry about not living up to expectations, its use (or, more correctly, misuse) of characters, and humor that didn’t land. The is no doubt that we will see Waititi’s triumphant return to directing in the future, but maybe with less 2014-era humor, and more “Immigrant Song”-worthy fight sequences (and hopefully a lot more Valkyrie).