Up until the release of Eternals, Thor: The Dark World reigned supreme as the worst-reviewed installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, it can’t be denied that the Odinson’s second solo outing remains one of the franchise’s most troubled productions.
Patty Jenkins was initially set to direct, but the future Wonder Woman architect dropped out much to the dismay of Natalie Portman, before admitting she wasn’t sold on the script and didn’t want to take the blame if the end product flopped. Alan Taylor stepped in as her replacement, but he’s hardly been shy when it comes to voicing his dissatisfaction, either.
As you may have noticed, Love and Thunder is gearing up to hit theaters this weekend, and the critics haven’t been as impressed as we’d have thought. The impending arrival of Chris Hemsworth’s fourth standalone adventure has reignited The Dark World discourse all over again, though, with the MCU fandom still struggling to reach a consensus.
There are many, many, many problems with Thor: The Dark World, from its uninteresting storyline to the mere existence of Malekith, undoubtedly one of the worst villains in MCU history. However, the maligned second chapter has been undergoing a reappraisal for a while, even if you get the distinct impression that straws are being clutched when it comes to rattling off the movie’s merits.
Either way, we’ll see how it holds up in comparison to Love and Thunder once audiences have had the chance to see Taika Waititi’s latest for themselves.