Taika Waititi’sThor: Ragnarokhas been praised as one of the greatest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because unlike the previousThormovies, it has an idiosyncratic artistic voice at the helm putting a personal authorial stamp on the work. This is the case with all the MCU’s best movies: James Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxy, Ryan Coogler’sBlack Panther, the Russo brothers’Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Whereas the MCU’s worst entries, likeIron Man 2andThor: The Dark World,play as generic superhero blockbustersthat get the job done without going the extra mile to stand out, the best ones bring something wholly unique to the table.
With its zanyBig Trouble in Little China-inspired revamp of the God of Thunder and its use of hilariously anticlimactic set pieces, it’s fair to sayThor: Ragnarokfalls into this category. Just like Gunn and Coogler’s movies, Waititi’s personality can be seen all overRagnarok. But the director’s next Thor solo movie,Thor: Love and Thunder, could be even more unique and offbeat than his Marvel debut.
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While Waititi managed to put his own personal stamp onRagnarok, he came onto the project when the script was already late into development, so his contributions were limited. When he boarded the project, Marvel had envisionedRagnarokas a darker movie than the previousThorfilms. Waititi went in the complete opposite direction and made it much lighter and zanier than the last two movies and the result turned one of the most boring Avengersinto one of the most beloved.
But despite all the creative freedom he was given, Waititi still had to operate within a story structure and collection of ideas that Marvel had already laid out from the beginning.Love and Thunder, on the other hand, wasdeveloped from scratch by Waititi– in conjunction with screenwriter Jennifer Kaytin Robinson – so it’ll be his movie in an even truer sense thanRagnarokwas and probably showcase even more of his quirky, inimitable sensibility.
Marvel has yet to reveal any plot details aboutLove and Thunder, but there are some very exciting elements at play. The movie will reintroduce Jane Foster as she takes on the mantle of Thor, possibly even incorporating the cancer storyline from the comics; Valkyrie is searching for a queen to help her rule over New Asgard; Christian Bale will play Gorr the God Butcher; Russell Crowe will play Zeus; andthe Guardians of the Galaxy will appearin supporting roles. All the ingredients are there forLove and Thunderto be even more deliriously entertaining than its predecessor.
This is one of several passing-the-torch narratives taking place in Phase Four of the MCU as the original six Avengers move on.The Falcon and the Winter Soldierjust introduced Sam Wilson’s Captain America. TheBlack Widowmovie will introduce Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova as Nat’s successor. TheHawkeyeseries will introduceHailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop as Clint’s successor. ButLove and Thunderhas a unique angle in that its central Avenger is passing on his mantle to his ex-girlfriend. With Thor and Jane reconnecting and Valkyrie looking for a queen,Love and Thunderis poised to be a heartfelt romantic comedy wrapped in an intergalactic superhero spectacle.
Waititi is one of the most revered and fascinating voices in contemporary cinema. His movies are all inextricably tied by his use of dry humor to explore deeply human stories, butthey’re also entirely distinct from one another. There’s nothing that connects a vampire mockumentary, a father-son adventure story, and a coming-of-age yarn starring an imaginary Hitler other than Waititi’s idiosyncratic sensibility.
It can be difficult to follow up blockbusters that felt like a breath of fresh air, because a sequel that provides more of the same will be inherently disappointing because it doesn’t pack the same surprise that the original did. This can be seen inKingsman: The Golden Circle,The Dark Knight Rises, and indeed, Marvel’s ownGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But based on Waititi’s track record,Love and Thunderis in no such danger. Rather than rehashingwhat worked inRagnarok, Waititi is surely crafting a whole new movie with its own refreshing style and themes.
Waititi is also one of the few indie directors to make the jump to mainstream blockbusters and actually use that clout to make the jump back to smaller original movies and get non-franchise-related movies made. BetweenRagnarokandLove and Thunder, Waititi has carved out the time to direct not one, but two smaller movie projects:Jojo Rabbit, which was released to critical acclaim and an Oscar win for Waititi in 2019, andNext Goal Wins, an upcoming true-to-life sports comedy starring Michael Fassbender as an underdog soccer coach.
The filmmaker who just earned an Academy Award for writing himself as a dancing Hitler who eats unicorns has surely cooked up something totally new for the fourthThormovie. Afterthe wildly unexpected turn that Thor’s arc tookfollowingAvengers: Endgame’s five-year time jump, the sky is the limit in terms of creative risk-taking.
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