Thor: Love and Thunder is certailny a surprisingly divisive film, as Taika Waititi brought his own humor to the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry. As the internet is ripping itself apart over its quality and the implications of recent hints regarding the VFX industry, the director sat down with Insider to discuss his future with the franchise. In it, he highlighted that Chris Hemsworth is returning as Thor while also hinting that he’s certainly open to returning for a fifth Thor film.
Waititi does confirm that he wasn’t aware of Hemsworth returning for future entries and it seems that the “Thor Will Return” tag was something added at a later point. It’s always unclear just how much insight the directors have on sequel plans.
Well, guess what? That was a surprise to me, too. I’m not joking. 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
Taika Waititi
The big question however is if we’ll not only see a fifth Thor entry but also if Waititi is open to returning. There’s been quite the backlash as of late in regards to the MCU entry not performing as some “expect” from the franchise, and the film has faced some harsh criticism. The big aspect of him returning however is only if Chris Hemsworth is also down to make another film.
Now, I don’t know what would be next. I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it. 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.”
Taika Waititi
Given Thor has dabbled in space and on Earth, there are quite a few stories they could tackle. While personally exploring the darker storylines within the Norse mythology would be a preferred direction, there are quite a few stories still worth pulling from to explore just what exactly the future has in store for the franchise.
“All Gods must die.” These are words uttered by the horrifying Gorr in both Thor: Love and Thunder and in the world of Marvel comics. The character, played by Christian Bale in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, was created by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic for 2013’s Thor: God of Thunder run and has since become a fan-favorite member of Thor’s extensive rogues’ gallery. Known as the God Butcher, the villain’s main objective is to wipe all living deities out of existence. This remains his goal in the MCU, an adaptation that actually manages to match up quite well with its iconic source material. Although, very few things can ever be exactly the same. Join us as we take a look at Gorr’s transition from page to screen, exploring what the MCU borrowed accurately from the comics and what it decided to change.
Design
King Thor #1 (2019)Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder
Let’s first address the elephant in the room. Gorr is still pretty scary in Thor: Love and Thunder, but his design is a far cry from the look comic book readers grew accustomed to. Christian Bale‘s antagonist is still chalk white, but he’s not nearly as undressed as the original model. The MCU puts Gorr in a flowing white robe in place of the skin-tight black speedo look the God Butcher rocks in the 616. Both versions of Gorr wear an ominous hood, but the colors are different for each one. Comic Gorr dons black, in contrast to his skin, while MCU Gorr wears more white, perhaps as a means of making him appear sort of nude from afar. Lastly, Bale‘s Gorr has a fairly humanoid head and body, doing away with the comic’s more alien, tentacled monster.
Origin
Thor: God of Thunder #6 (2012)
Gorr has one of the more tragic origins of any Marvel villain, but of course, that may have been a requirement to explain why his desires are so extreme. In both the comics and the MCU, Gorr’s hatred of the Gods stems from the death of his loved ones. It’s just that, in Thor: Love and Thunder, the details are simplified for the sake of streamlining the story. Aaron‘s original books had Gorr losing his mother, his mate, and his son, all succumbing to the barren conditions they were subject to living in on their alien planet. Taika Waititi‘s version of this is incredibly similar, only on film, Gorr is only shown losing his child. There are no other relatives mentioned, and Gorr’s son Agar is replaced by a daughter mostly referred to as “Love”. That being said, MCU Gorr does still lose his daughter to the intense drought on his unnamed homeworld, just like his illustrated inspiration.
Thor: God of Thunder #6 (2012)Thor: God of Thunder #6 (2012)
After Agar breathes his last breath in the 616, Gorr comes across two gods duking it out in the lifeless environment he is barely surviving. One a god in golden armor, and the other a god of pitch black. The duo severely injure each other in battle, with the golden god falling at Gorr’s feet and requesting his help. Enraged by the fact no god had ever helped him, Gorr instead picks up the weapon of Knull (the aforementioned dark being, more on that later) and slays the golden god before him. Embued with new, lethal abilities by this weapon, called All-Black the Necrosword, Gorr vows to take revenge upon all gods and takes off into the unknown to begin his new journey in earnest.
Thor: God of Thunder #6 (2012)
This general concept of Gorr finding two gods is adapted for the MCU, but it doesn’t play out exactly the same. The live-action version of Gorr does not actually see two gods fighting to the death. Instead, he stumbles across an Oasis-like patch of greenery inhabited by the golden god of Light he had prayed to for his daughter’s safety. Initially relieved, believing he has finally found mercy, Gorr is shell-shocked to discover that the golden god is an arrogant, vain, gluttonous fool with no regard for the mortals he is supposed to protect. After insulting Gorr’s faith and family, the golden god reveals he has just killed a being corrupted by the Necrosword, gesturing to an all-black corpse on the ground. Enraged, Gorr renounces his devotion and uses the Necrosword to decapitate the god of Light, before making his famous vow and embracing his newfound powers. Many of the beats are the same as in the comic, it’s just adjusted slightly to fit Waititi‘s vision for the character.
Abilities
Thor: God of Thunder #2 (2012)
Gorr’s abilities were going to have to change a little bit for the MCU. In the comics, the Necrosword is created by Knull (told you we’d get back to it), who is the progenitor of the Klyntar race and the black god-figure seen by Gorr in battle. For the uninitiated, “Klyntar” is the scientific term for “alien symbiotes”. The same symbiotes Spider-Man can never seem to stop running into, and the same symbiotes whose film rights are still firmly owned by Sony. The 616 All-Black operates using symbiote-like power, allowing its user to form large black tendrils and gooey black wings among other constructs. It also grants an accelerated healing factor and enhanced durability, and assists Gorr in creating a small army of shadow monsters to aid him in accomplishing his goals.
Thor: God of Thunder #2 (2012)
The MCU’s take on the Necrosword is very similar, but it drops all connections to the Klyntar. Gorr is still able to summon creatures and strange black tendrils, but everything is related to a shadow world instead of oozing symbiotic material. The Necrosword also still has the unique ability to slay any god and continues to grant Bale‘s Gorr with enhanced capabilities. One major difference is that the live-action Gorr does not sprout wings to travel. Instead, the sword seemingly allows him to travel via shadow, disappearing and reappearing in darkness as he pleases.
Plot
Both versions of Gorr begin their quest by quietly slaughtering pantheons of “lower-level” gods across multiple planets. There’s even a shot-for-shot recreation of the death of Falligar, the large animal-like god that Thor finds dead next to a wounded Sif in the movie. They both also have the same endgame – using a MacGuffin to wipe out the rest of the gods in one fell swoop. 616 Gorr uses an army of kidnapped god-slaves to create the “Godbomb”, which when detonated would purge the universe of all its deities. In the MCU, however, he’s looking for Stormbreaker as a means of getting to Eternity, the wish-granting higher power he could use to magically make all gods pop out of reality.
Thor: God of Thunder #7 (2013)Thor: God of Thunder #7 (2013)
Comic book Gorr uses a lot of timey wimey shenanigans to carry out his plot, but the movie adaptation gets rid of all that to make things less complicated. Bale’s Gorr simply kidnaps the children of the gods to lure Thor and his valuable weapon directly to him. Both Gorrs, however, use an odd, colorless planet as their base of operations. In Aaron’s books, it’s the Black World while in Waititi‘s film, it’s a place known as the Shadow World. Close, but not exactly the same.
Death
Thor: God of Thunder #11 (2013)
Neither Gorr makes it out of their initial story alive, which is maybe in the universe’s best interest. MCU Gorr gets the better end of the deal, though, getting a touching reunion with his daughter before entering the final frontier. The final act of Love and Thunder sees Thor and Jane Foster convincing Gorr to use his wish to bring his child back instead of killing all gods, which enables him to give her a tearful goodbye before the corruption of the Necrosword ultimately kills him. In the comics, Gorr also sees his child one last time before death, only there it’s an evil construct of the Necrosword that berates him for the path he’s gone down. Not quite as cute.
Thor: God of Thunder #11 (2013)Thor: God of Thunder #11 (2013)
616 Gorr is also not killed by any sort of infection and is actually decapitated by the combined efforts of three different Thors from across the Marvel timeline. Thor: Love and Thunder manages to replicate this with a clever plot twist, where Thor temporarily passes his power to the group of kidnapped children he’s trying to save. This results in Gorr and his army having to deal with “three Thors” in the same way his comic counterpart did; Thor, Mighty Thor, and the combined force of all the Kid Thors.
One of the most interesting ways in which Ms. Marvel adapted the comics is by expanding upon the story of Kamala’s ancestors during Partition. Of course, it has been obvious since the second episode of the series that what happened with Kamala’s great-grandmother in 1947 was key to understanding Kamala’s powers and the bangle. In Episode 5, the thrust of the story was a flashback to Aisha and her husband, Hasan, in 1942-47, ending with Aisha’s death as Hasan and their daughter, Sana, made it on the last train to Karachi.
Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel Episode 5
Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel Episode 5
In Ms. Marvel #8 and #9 (2015), we get a small snippet of this same time period in Kamala’s family history. In fact, it begins with a pregnant Aisha hastily getting ready to flee India to Pakistan with many of her family members. She sees a shooting star, which gives her some hope in the dark time. Notably, the comics’ only mention of Aisha’s bangles is in this brief story. She sold her jewelry and hid the money inside her wedding bangles in case she and her husband were separated.
In the second half of the comics’ version of the flashback, we jump to Kamala’s mother in Karachi around the year 2000. She is living with her mother and family—Aamir is young and she is pregnant with Kamala. She had chosen to move to New Jersey for her family, but she had many doubts and worries about her children’s futures in a new country and culture. Kamala’s grandmother tells Kamala’s mother how strong Aisha was and tells her that they are a family of survivors.
Ms. Marvel #9 (2016)
Kamala’s grandmother then passes down Aisha’s wedding bangles to Kamala’s mother. The live-action version of this story is taken from the page yet altered significantly to meet the demands of the Ms. Marvel story. In the comics, the story was mostly to emphasize the struggles and journeys Kamala’s ancestors had to go through during Partition and beyond.
Ms. Marvel #9 (2016)
But it does also hint at the family’s Inhuman heritage, as it ends with Kamala’s grandmother saying she always felt there was some sort of secret and strength that the family carried. Ms. Marvel hits those same notes by tying the story to Kamala’s (and her ancestors’) powers and superhuman heritage.
Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel Episode 5
The first five episodes of Ms. Marvel are now streaming on Disney+.
At the end of the day, while featuring a few outstanding elements well worthy of praise, Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t quite deliver. Going beyond all the talk about wonky CGI and overuse of StageCraft technology (that honestly isn’t an issue at all), the main problems seem to have to do with both the plot and script, in terms of pacing and tone-specific verisimilitude. While understanding that this is a movie about space gods, space goats, and space dolphins you still want it to be engrossing and to make sense, even if only within its own specific set of rules. Also, the fact that the movie shied away from truly exploring what should have been at its core (Gorr and Godhood) in a more in-depth way comes off as a disservice to the comic story arc it loosely adapted.
There seems to be a lot of praise when referring to Thor: Love and Thunder as being very comic-booky mostly in the sense that it doesn’t take itself that seriously. That, in and of itself is not a bad thing, but it certainly doesn’t feel like the right approach when addressing the God Butcher storyline. Much like we got to see a different side of Thor following Ragnarok in Avengers: Infinity War (due to the more somber nature of the storyline) by choosing to make Gorr a central piece of Love and Thunder I’m not entirely convinced that the tone made sense. Jason Aaron‘s original Thor run eventually evolves into a more light-hearted tone (in my opinion the shift from Esad Ribic‘s art to Russell Dauterman‘s sort of exemplifies that) but a feature film adaptation of its beginning, the first arcs featuring Gorr, certainly deserved a more ominous approach in order to sell what made it one of the truly remarkable Thor storylines.
Not only does the tone feel a bit off but by doubling down on gags that already worked and had their time in Thor: Ragnarok comes off as lazy and downright dull at times, with the new Asgardian Theater scene being a prime example of that. Some other running jokes felt flat (looking at you sulking Stormbreaker) and remarkably little of that traditional Waititi sense of humor, clever wording, and comic timing felt fresh. While Ragnarok was mostly set on Asgard and Sakaar making Waititi‘s bonkers take have an otherworldly setting that meshed well together, the Love and Thunder action taking place in a more earthly New Asgard felt a bit cosplay-y, maybe explaining why the Omnipotent City sequence (a location that deserved a bigger spotlight and further exploration) worked a bit better with the established tone of the movie.
The fast pace that allows us to get straight into the action is, again, something that while not being a bad thing should really be used according to the specific situation. In other projects that seemed like the right approach. Again going back to Infinity War, everything started moving hastily since the main players’ motivations had been set up in previous features and there wasn’t really a need for a large amount of setup. But in Thor: Love and Thunder, regarding Gorr but especially regarding Jane Foster’s transformation into the Mighty Thor, everything felt rushed in a way that took some of the emotional punch out of the journey both characters went on. Jane Foster deserved to have her initial Mighty Thor transformation on screen, even if the comics themselves do not show it. But while the comics thrived on the mystery behind the character, as who was holding the hammer wasn’t revealed until later, Thor: Love and Thunder made that pretty clear from the moment the movie was announced, making a similar delayed reveal pointless and honestly a bit anti-climatic.
But not all was lost to the “bigger and louder and more bombastic” version or Ragnarok Waititi sold us on, as there are some hilarious gems spread out through the script (“Maybe your arm is in Valhalla!”) as well as being introduced to, in my opinion, the most obnoxious but also the more hilarious running joke on any Marvel Studios movie: Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder.
All in all, it’s hard not to wish that such compelling story arcs featuring Gorr and The Mighty Thor could have been given a bit more room to truly live up to their potential. What could have been an amazing Thor sequel, given the cast and characters, and especially following the tremendous success of the previous installment that reinvigorated the franchise, instead takes us back to pre-Ragnarok levels of interest in what the future might have in store for the character. Thor: Love and Thunder while aiming at being a Thor: Ragnarok 2.0 but doesn’t manage to go beyond a meager 0.5.
Or perhaps a 0.6. Because of the goats.
Mary Maerz
I liked it a lot more the second time I watched it. I’m a big fan of Taika Waititi’s vibe and the movie’s general goofy tone. Not every joke landed for me, but I will survive. I also love everything colorful and visually interesting so it was a good time for that. I’m not the VFX police, and I don’t think a movie that has Bao the god of dumplings in it needs those people in its life, but the tone of Love and Thunder is bold and wacky, so it really doesn’t need to look like an Avatar sequel. It was fun, and it had unexpected heart in the ending. It was the first MCU film I haven’t spoiled for myself in many years, and I am glad I didn’t.
That being said, and please don’t murder me, I think it was…too short. Gorr was a letdown for me on the first viewing. Once I accepted that into my heart, I could enjoy the second round more. But he felt underdeveloped, both in terms of character and actual villainy. The guy didn’t butcher gods. But his underlying motivation, conviction, and the critical thinking that comes along with it could have used some extra time. He felt like a hypothetical threat the whole movie rather than a real one. Bale is great though; without his performance, Gorr would have been one of the most forgettable villains in the MCU for me. I also wish Jane’s story got some more time. Her journey was abrupt and abbreviated. It makes sense in terms of her role in the Thor franchise, but the story itself deserved its own solo project so it felt disproportionate.
Charles Murphy
In 2017, Taika Waititi made a Marvel Studios movie. Thor: Ragnarok breathed new life into the character by undoing everything that had been done with him before. In 2022, Marvel Studios made a Taika Waititi movie. Thor: Love and Thunder, for better or for worse, was Waititi fully unleashed. And, unfortunately, it seems that Waititi took all the wrong lessons from the success of Ragnarok and spent too much time in Love and Thunder giving fans more of the same from Ragnarok while not spending enough time on the things that could have made this movie truly great. Love and Thunder isn’t a bad movie, but unlike its immediate predecessor in the Thor franchise, it’s far too forgettable and a bit disappointing.
The uneven nature of the film is summed up pretty well by what the audience gets (and doesn’t get) in the first 25 minutes or so of the film. The cold open introduces the film’s villain, Gorr, before he becomes the God Butcher, played wonderfully by Christian Bale. A tragic scene unfolds as Gorr’s daughter dies in his arms as Gorr’s god ignores his pleas. Summoned by the Necrosword, Gorr stumbles into an Eden-esque garden where the shiny gold god killed the dull black god that used to have the Necrosword, and then Gorr kills the shiny god with the evil weapon. Fairly quickly after that, one of the most balls-to-the-wall, insane action pieces in the history of Marvel Studios unfolds as Thor dispatches the evil bird people while also laying waste to the nice blue peoples’ planet.
As amazing as Thor’s action scene is, I have to wonder why we weren’t treated to an equally amazing action scene in the cold open. Rather than have Gorr stumble into the aftermath of the battle between the gods, why didn’t we see it? And that question, “why didn’t we see it?”, is the core of the film’s issues. Allegedly based on Jason Aaron’s legendary run, this film did little to honor it. Instead of seeing Gorr butcher gods in the opening act, his acts are relegated to stills that pop up on a low-quality monitor. In fact, the audience is told about Gorr more than they get to see him be terrifying. Instead of seeing Jane Foster’s first transformation in New Asgard (a scene we KNOW they shot, by the way), we have to listen to Jane tell Thor about it. And the frustration only mounts because I can’t reasonably understand why the time wasn’t taken to allow the audience to see things that would have enriched the story. Was it so we could get the shitty breakup flashbacks?
Magically, however, the mess coalesces into one of Marvel Studios’ ballsiest and best third acts. While the whole magic wish to kill gods isn’t really in line with the Gorr from the comics (he would never have cheated himself out of the pleasure of torturing and killing the gods personally), there are clear and high stakes as the final act begins. The final battle with Thor and Mighty Thor vs. Gorr is going to hold up well over time and the crazy idea to empower the kids worked better than it had any right to. And most importantly, Eternity looked GREAT. Thor has now lost pretty much everything he ever held dear to him and looks set to head in a totally different direction with Love at his side. And coming from the guy who hates post-credit scenes, the first one is an example of how they can still be done right.
Ultimately, Thor: Love and Thunder will go down as a missed opportunity. Not a bad movie, but a cautionary tale for Marvel Studios. It’s hard to judge a movie on what it could or should have been, but this one had all the opportunity in the world to be great and ended up good.
Anthony Canton III
Thor: Love And Thunder is a movie if I were looking for a sports comparison I’d say it were Shaquille O’Neal. A dominant player; one of the best we’ve ever seen. A unique force that changed the game. Yet, we always wished he gave a little bit more. Let’s break it down. Portions of Jason Aaron’s God Of Thunder and The Mighty Thor were adapted to this movie. Was that done well? I’d say it wasn’t really done at all.
When we hear about Gorr The God Butcher, we think of him torturing gods before he kills them. He kills one god. Not enough butchering. Christian Bale is excellent in the role with not enough screen time. Natalie Portman came back inspired as Jane here with a better energy. The action worked in ways that the story did not. I thoroughly enjoyed Russell Crowe’s comedic performance as Zeus. We did not get enough of Valkyrie. Hemsworth was solid. But again I needed more.
Is this a Taika fatigue issue? Perhaps. Ragnarok is one of the greatest MCU films of all time. This one? Solid, but there wasn’t enough meat on the bone to really get to the levels it needed to. Thor: Love and Thunder, meet Shaquille O’Neal. 7 out of 10. Extra half point for the goats.
Mister Anderson
I loved the latest chapter of Thor for several reasons. The character development was great for several of the characters, but I’m most impressed with the newfound depth they gave Thor. His evolution from aloof and aimless to a purpose-driven empathetic hero made this story completely worthwhile. Jane’s turn as The Mighty Thor also brought a lot of emotion and strength to the narrative as well, making Thor challenge a lot of his past decisions and helping him learn, like Xavier teaches Doctor Strange, “Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.” We’re reminded through the movie of Thor’s previous stumbles, but this story really seems to set the hero back on a path with purpose and meaning.
Dalbin Osorio
I’ll get this out of the way right out the gate: I liked it a lot. Chris Hemsworth is Thor, and he owns every role. Natalie Portman was dope, and I wish she would’ve taken his place. That takes me to my one gripe with the film: I wish the God Butcher would’ve butchered a few more Gods onscreen. Namely, I wish he would’ve killed Hemsworth’s Thor. This Phase has been about the passing of mantles, so to speak, and having Gorr kill Thor (and Zeus, which would then set Hercules on a path to revenge for who he thinks is responsible), and then having Mighty Thor be the one to convince him to bring his daughter back would’ve made for a much better movie. Instead, we didn’t get much god killing, which kind of lessened Gorr’s appearance and a great performance by Christian Bale. It didn’t rise to Hela levels, but definitely another very good villain by Marvel. The two scenes at the end were both great, though, again, if you killed Thor, then I think the last scene hits different for people (in a good way). I give it a 7/10. Better than Black Widow and Eternals, for sure, but not as good as the cream of the crop in Phase 4 that was No Way Home, Shang-Chi, and Multiverse of Madness.
Torbjorn Frazier
For me, Thor: Love and Thunder has become ever-challenging to form a definitive opinion on. I certainly consider the film to be a net positive and an enjoyable watching experience, but also find a number of the dissenting opinions on Marvel Studios’ latest film to be at least understandable. A prime example of this notion is the comedy style of Taika Waititi: I greatly enjoyed a majority of the absurdist running gags, but understand those that felt it took away from further developing the fast-paced plot. Though my most overt qualm with the film comes from Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, who only butchers one god for the entire movie in his limited screen time (even one other god killing scene or montage could’ve rectified this).
My issues with Gorr tie into what is my biggest issue with this film: a lack of definition on the severity of stakes our protagonists are dealing with. I for one have zero issue with the idea of smaller scale stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (I’m a defender of Ant-Man and The Wasp for this reason), but the more personal mission of saving the Asgardian children could’ve been better served as a separate project away from the high-stakes, esoteric mission of stopping Gorr from reaching Eternity and killing all the gods. Especially with the rapid-fire pacing (which for the record, I’m a fan of), I struggled to connect with the overall story of Love and Thunder more than I did with Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok.
Though I don’t want to just lay out my grievances without acknowledging the truly strong and interesting elements of this film. My personal MVP of the film is Natalie Portman, who gives a killer performance as the Mighty Thor and a Jane Foster who wants to be in the film she’s in. As well, Love and Thunder certainly leaves the Thor/Asgardian franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large with some compelling stories and status quo changes in its future. And even with my qualms, I remain appreciative of Marvel Studios being willing to take the larger creative swings in their recent projects as a means to tell different stories than before. I’d much rather view a film taking these types of swings than attempting to “play it safe” and lose a distinct creative vision.
Thor: Love and Thunder is another non-stop rollercoaster from director Taika Waititi, filled to the brim with colorful characters and thrilling moments. Unfortunately, like any good ride, there’s a limit to how many people can get on. Leading up to the film’s release, it felt like a countless number of names and faces were rumored to be making an appearance. Some of those personalities actually did squeak their way into the movie’s 120-minute runtime, like Jamie Alexander‘s long-lost Sif and Brett Goldstein‘s spanking new Hercules, but the film otherwise stuck to focusing on established leads from the previous entries. For the sake of humility, let’s take a look at some of the most heavily rumored characters that didn’t actually end up in Thor’s fourth solo adventure.
Beta Ray Bill
From the beginning, nearly every comic fan hoped Love and Thunder would be the place they finally saw Beta Ray Bill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character is the perfect mix of weird and cool for a film written by Waititi, and a visual tease in Thor: Ragnarok meant the director definitely had Bill on the brain. At different points in time, everyone from Barbiestar Ryan Gosling to the film’s actual villain Christian Balewere talked about as potential castings for the heroic Korbinite. Heck, even Beta Ray’s traditional weapon Stormbreaker has become a staple of Thor’s on-screen journey. Yet, the entirety of Love and Thunder comes and goes without so much as a mention of the intergalactic warrior. It might be for the best, considering how much is already going on in the movie, as long as Bill gets a shot at stardom somewhere down the line.
The Grandmaster
This one seemed all but confirmed until the film was actually released. In Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi introduced the world to Jeff Goldblum‘s Grandmaster, an Elder of the Universe who used his less-than-iron fist to rule over the planet Sakaar and use its citizens for entertainment in gladiatorial combat. Though removed from power by the end of that project, the Grandmaster did survive all the way to the film’s end credits. Goldblum was never officially announced as returning to the role, but photos of the actor hanging out with Waititi and a bunch of the confirmed Love and Thunder cast led everyone to believe he’d be back. Alas, there’s no trace of the master manipulator in the fourthquel.
Of note, however, is that Christian Bale did actually confirm in an interview with Screen Rant that he filmed scenes with Goldblum that were cut from the film’s finished product. This might imply Gorr would have killed the Grandmaster in an original cut of the movie, so perhaps him not showing up is better news for Goldblum than fans thought.
Eitri, King of the Dwarves
More or less the same scenario as Goldblum‘s Grandmaster. Months ago, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage teased during an interview with Empire Magazine that he would soon be back for another shot at Eitri, the King of the Dwarves, after debuting as the character in Avengers: Infinity War. Not only that, but a short while later IMDb listed Lane Friedman‘s job on the Love and Thunder production team as “Hair Stylist: Peter Dinklage.” It turns out, much like the Grandmaster before him, Eitri was intended to appear in a scene featuring Gorr the God Butcher, as revealed by Christian Bale himself in a recent interview. Whether or not this means Gorr was supposed to kill the downtrodden Dwarf remains a mystery, but it’s worth mentioning Gorr isn’t exactly known for letting deities off the hook. Either way, fans don’t have to worry, because Eitri isn’t in the movie and lives to see another day.
Gamora
It was never a secret that the Guardians of the Galaxy would be showing up in Thor: Love and Thunder. The last time audiences saw Thor, he was flying away with them on their ship, and the team of quirky characters featured prominently in the film’s early marketing. However, never shown among them was Zoe Saldana‘s Gamora, who died during the events of Avengers: Infinity War only to have an alternate version of herself from a different timeline appear and then run away in Avengers: Endgame. There was never a lot of evidence to back up the idea that she’d be with the team in Love and Thunder, but that didn’t stop the internet from speculating wildly that she’d at least cameo on a screen somewhere in the Guardians portion of the film. While she does get an indirect mention from Chris Pratt‘s Star-Lord during a crucial thematic moment, that’s about the extent of her involvement in the story.
Loki
Another rumor that never had much behind it was the cinematic return of Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s maybe-more-popular brother Loki. Ever since the character cheated death, again, to lead the Disney+ series Loki, the God of Mischief’s fans assumed he’d find a way to make his presence known in Thor: Love and Thunder. After all, Hiddleston played a large role in all three previous Thor films, and his baddie-turned-sympathetic anti-hero is central to the hero’s extensive mythology. The conversation about a potential Loki cameo revved back up after the actor stated in an interview with Total Film that he had no idea if he’d be in the movie or not, jokingly commenting that he wasn’t even “doing an Andrew Garfield.” Well, it looks like Hiddleston won’t have to wonder anymore, as Loki is definitely not in the film. His face, and name, make a few quick appearances via archival flashbacks and a comical tattoo, but it doesn’t seem any new footage was ever shot.
Captain Marvel
It would seem fans shouldn’t believe everything they hear. Rumors began to run rampant about a Carol Danvers appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder after online scoopers claimed there’d be a romance between her and Tessa Thompson‘s Valkyrie happening in the near future. There was even talk that Brie Larson had filmed additional scenes as her character during reshoots in Los Angeles. A comment made by Thompson during an interview with The Wrap pushed the rumor even further, with the fan-favorite actress mentioning the queerness of her Asgardian warrior would be further explored in the latest Marvel outing. Obviously, Danvers doesn’t even come close to popping up in Love and Thunder, even if Valkyrie’s bisexuality is addressed briefly. For those disappointed by this turn of events, the new rumor is that Valkyrie could turn up in The Marvels to keep the romantic ship alive. So, maybe there’s still hope?
Throg
At one point, word circulated that Thor:Love and Thunder would embrace the multiverse theme of Phase 4 and feature multiple variants of the titular character and his cohorts. It didn’t take long for the internet to assume this meant another live-action appearance for Throg, the amphibious God of Thunder made popular by memes and an often-talked about cameo in Loki. Interviews with creatives behind the aforementioned Disney+ series revealed that Throg originally had a greater presence in the show, which seemed proof enough for a lot of fans that the character, voiced by Chris Hemsworth, could hop his way onto the big screen. Lamentably, this was not the case, and the only other version of Thor in the movie was Natalie Portman‘s Mighty Thor. Although, that’s really not so bad, considering how great she turned out to be.
Balder the Brave
The forgotten brother of Thor and Loki. Balder the Brave, or Balder the Bro, as I like to call him, has been considered for almost every entry in the Thor franchise, but has yet to actually make the cut. When Christian Bale was initially cast in Love and Thunder, and it was still unknown who the thespian would be portraying, many fans jumped at the idea he would be the one to finally bring Balder to life. It’s been known for a while now that isn’t true, but nobody can be blamed for thinking Marvel might want to bring the Asgardian into the fold. Old concept art from Charlie Wenrevealed Balder came close to making his MCU debut in both 2011’s Thor and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, and Deadline’s Justin Kroll recently broke the news that Daniel Craig had once been tapped to play the character as a member of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented that from coming to fruition, and Balder remains on the outskirts of cinematic notoriety.
Lena Headey (as Unknown)
This is the trickiest one of the bunch. Lena Headey, of Game of Thrones fame, spent a considerable amount of time in the rumor mill attached to Thor: Love and Thunder. After word began making the rounds on Twitter that she may be involved with the production, fans started piecing together via social media posts that the actress was staying in Australia at the same time the movie was filming. A rather recent bit of news, involving a lawsuit, finally confirmed that Headey was definitely set to join the MCU in Thor’s newest adventure, but for whatever reason, her part was cut and left out of the final product. It’s not known who the former Dredd star would have brought to life, considering the film leaves so little room for anything that’s not already there, but it’s likely she would have portrayed yet another God. It’s a shame she was removed from the film, but at least this leaves her open for a different role down the line.
There have been many discussions made on Social Media in regards to Marvel’s use of CG. While some tend to drag it down for one reason or another, there’s been an overall industry issue at play for quite a few years now. One former VFX artist for Marvel Studios has opened up on the experience on Twitter.
Druv Govil has shared his side of working on a Marvel TV series and how that experience also led to him leaving the industry. He calls the production house as a “horrible client” but also highlights that this is mostly due to their deep pockets that they support the industry with.
We, of course, have no detailed insight into how exactly Marvel functions. Yet, there are instances that hint at them having the habit of changing elements shortly before release, which would naturally slam any industry.
There will likely be people who had positive experiences as well, as we’ve seen in the past such as some statements. Everyone’s mileage can vary but theredefinitely is an industry problem with VFX agencies. We’re seeing many face issues throughout and might see more statements in the future.
Stranger Things recently was highlighting how their VFX teams worked until even after the series released on the show. Only to push a tweet claiming that Vecna’s design is without CG. Cats’ production even re-released a version after hitting theaters with better effects.
This issue is also sadly not unique to the VFX industry, as a rise in demand for cheaper and cost-effective services has become the norm in many others. The advertising industry also works on a sink-or-swim survival tactic with the biggest clients inquiring last second changes repeatedly. Internal management also plays a big role as works get dumped on the various team that have little to no say. We’ll have to see if this current movement will potentially be the point where the VFX industry unionizes.
The Boys’ third season may have come to a close, but the series’ universe is just getting started. Amazon Prime is currently gearing up for the release of the franchise’s first live-action spin-off, The Boys Presents: Varsity, which is set to debut on the streaming service before the main show gets a chance to return. Set parallel to the events of The Boys Season 3, Varsity will examine the world of Supes from the perspective of young characters attending the Vought-run Godolkin University School of Crimefighting. Described as “part college show, part Hunger Games—with all the heart, satire, and raunch of The Boys”, the series will shine a light on the next generation of “superheroes”, with a focus on the X-Men parody team – the G-Men.
Varsity will be helmed by Agent Carter’s Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, but it’s an interview with The Boys’ showrunner Eric Kripke that’s dropped an interesting new tidbit about the project. The creative spoke with Deadline about the future of the growing franchise and revealed that the new series will feature crossovers with his own. He explained that major moments from the latest batch of The Boys episodes will have a direct impact on Varsity, with the latter show doing the same to its flagship heading into Season 4:
There’s definitely crossover, and we’re doing our best to design a universe that sees some of the issues and storylines in Season 3 hand off to the first season in Varsity. Like there’s a presidential campaign happening in the background of that season, and there’s certain things that are happening at that school that are both in reaction to Season 3 of The Boys. There’s Soldier Boy, etcetera, but also some new storylines that are happening in that season of the spinoff that we have to pick up and take into Season 4 of the show.
Eric Kripke
There is not currently a release date set for Varsity, but with filming underway, it’s likely it will arrive on Amazon sometime in 2023. Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jaz Sinclair, Marco Pigossi, Chance Perdomo, and Shelley Conn are set to star, among others.
Some time ago, Secret Invasion leading star Samuel L. Jackson hinted that a few familiar faces will make their appearance in the upcoming Disney+ series. We haven’t heard much about who is joining the project and what roles they might have. Among them was the confirmation that Martin Freeman, who first appeared in Captain America: Civil War and went on to have a bigger role in Black Panther, would appear.
Now, the actor has actually just flat out confirmed his involvement in an interview with Radio Times. Naturally, he doesn’t give away any details or what exact role he’ll have in the project but it’s great to have a definite in regards to him being involved with the project.
Yeah – I think that’s kosher information, isn’t it? In order not to embarrass Samuel, I will say… I’m not gonna say he’s got that totally wrong and he’s thinking of Sam Rockwell. So yes, I may very well be [appearing].
Martin Freeman
His addition is interesting and does hint that either the CIA is working with Nick Fury or potentially even hunting him down. The Department of Damage Control seemingly is aware that he’s off-planet, which opens up just how involved he is with the government after the events of Winter Soldier led to him remaining on the run. Perhaps the upcoming series will answer that very question and offer some insight into what he’s been up to all this time.
the latest entry in The Fast Saga has been going through quite the rough patch after director Justin Lin left production just as it was getting started. Rumors had pointed to what was the cause, especially with internal strife in regards to its main star Vin Diesel, but they swiftly added Louis Leterrier to pick up the pieces.
We haven’t heard much since on how the project is progressing, but things have seemingly died down quite a bit. That was until actress Daniela Melchior took to Twitter to share a video from the ongoing production. It doesn’t show much outside of a shot of her driving, as she jokingly points out she can’t really share more but wanted to let everyone know that “Fast X is gonna be EPIC.”
It’s great to see that production has not slowed down since Leterrier joined the production, as there were hints that every day without a director costs the production teams millions. It’ll be interesting to see how much pressure will be on the film to pull at the box office, especially as Lin was originally also going to direct its sequel and final entry in The Fast Saga.
Melchior has been swiftly making her mark in Hollywood after a kickstart with her work on The Suicide Squad. Joining a franchise as big as The Fast Saga was that extra push she needed and we’ll likely see a lot more of her in the future. It’ll be interesting to see what role she has in Fast X and if she might also return for the sequel as well.
Loki’s the first second season for any Marvel Studios-produced Disney+ series yet unlike other shows that try to keep a consistent team throughout, a completely new team is taking over. Kate Herron, the director who initially pitched the show, has left with Moon Knight directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead taking over. Even head writer Michael Waldronhas passed the torch to Eric Martin. Luckily, one member remains according to a new report.
According to Inverse, it looks like composer Natalie Holt is set to return in the second season to bring back the iconic soundtrack that defined the series. She’s been quite busy with work on Obi-Wan Kenobi and going on to tackle Batgirl next, but it’s great to know she’ll also be back for Loki after giving it its distinctive sound. So, we might expect the same direction of the soundtrack for the series as we had in the past.
We still know very little about the direction of this series, but the base concept is probably one of the few that could potentially keep going no matter where the MCU continues to evolve. With the multiverse unleashed after the actions of Sylvie in the first season, who knows what trouble the TVA and a once again stranded Loki might have to face.
With a new team at the helm, it does seem like we’ll get some twists and new additions for this season to make it stand out from the previous one. Whatever direction they take, we can’t wait to see how it might tie into the overarching tease of Kang the Conqueror’s arrival implies.
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