Hiring Taika Waititi to board the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor franchise has to go down as one of the smartest decisions Kevin Feige has ever made, because it wouldn’t be unfair to say that the God of Thunder’s string of solo movies weren’t exactly ranked among the franchise’s top tier before then.
Kenneth Branagh’s opener was solid enough in its Shakespearean trappings and world-building, but Alan Taylor’s sequel The Dark World was beset by problems on either side of the camera, and it ranked as the MCU’s worst-reviewed installment for almost a decade until Eternals came along.
Waititi’s Ragnarok, on the other hand, was a revelation. Reinventing the stoic Odinson into a quip-heavy comedy goldmine, the zany cosmic buddy comedy is lauded by fans and critics alike as one of the MCU’s very best. Speaking to The Playlist, the Academy Award winner compared and contrasted his two Asgardian epics, but he wasn’t at liberty to give much away.
“I don’t think there’s been any difference. I mean really, it’s a similar size and everything’s the same. There’s a few different actors, but the energy and the intention is all still the same.”
Even though Thor: Love and Thunder comes to theaters on July 8, we haven’t seen a thing from the film as of yet. That being said, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness just nine weeks away, it would make sense for Marvel Studios to begin teasing the next comic book spectacular right around the time Sam Raimi’s effort edges closer to debuting.