Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Thor 5

  • Taika Waititi Currently Not Involved With ‘Thor 5’

    Taika Waititi Currently Not Involved With ‘Thor 5’

    Taika Waititi offered his unique sense of humor to reinvent the character of Thor just as Chris Hemsworth hinted that perhaps he was slowly done with the character. Yet, there was some backlash with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder given that it fully embraced its Flash Gordon inspiration and offered a full-on comedy even for Marvel Studios’ usual comedic standards.

    So, there’s been a big push for someone else to take over the franchise, as it’s also the only one from the original Phase 1 hero still going on with his own franchise. While we still don’t know if they are actively working on a sequel, it does seem like Taika Waititi isn’t likely to be part of if, as he reacts to rumors of a fifth entry.

    I wouldn’t know if that’s accurate. I know that I won’t be involved…I’m going to concentrate on these other films that I’ve signed on for.

    Taika Waititi

    He goes on to state that he’s already signed up for the next six or seven years, such as the Star Wars film he’s still busy working on that he states is “still marinating.” Yet, he also shares that he loved working with Marvel Studios and if he doesn’t return for Thor there might be another project for him.

    So that’s six, seven years gone. I’d imagine another ‘Thor’ would be a lot sooner than that…But I love Marvel, I love working with them. I love Chris.

    Taika Waititi

    It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for Thor, as we don’t know when we might see him return or even what role he might have in the future of the franchise. As he’s become a father, he might be off somewhere in space trying to raise his daughter Love and won’t return until the right pieces fall into place.

    Source: Variety

  • Chris Hemsworth Reflects on the “Too Silly” ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, Addresses the Future of the Franchise

    Chris Hemsworth Reflects on the “Too Silly” ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, Addresses the Future of the Franchise

    Following the critical and financial success of Thor: Ragnarok, a film that saw Taika Waititi deconstruct Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor only to build him back up into something bombastic and new, the green light was quickly given to a fourth installment in the Thor series. That film, Thor: Love and Thunder, seemed to indicate that Waititi learned all the wrong lessons from his time on Ragnarok and while it did just fine at the box office, critics and fans alike found it far less pleasing than its predecessor.

    Though the film leaves plenty of room for Hemsworth to return for another classic Thor adventure and the actor has said he’d be up for it if the script is right, savvy audience members who have read between the lines of Hemsworth’s interviews have oft noted something is rotten in the state of Asgard. Simply put, it doesn’t seem likely that Hemsworth and Waititi will be teaming up for Thor 5 unless the director comes up with a major course correction.

    In a lengthy interview with GQ, Hemsworth shed some on his past as the God of Thunder and what it would take for him to have a future in the role. “I love the experience,” said Hemsworth of playing Thor. “I love the fact that I’ve been able to do something fairly different throughout the process. Thor 1 and 2 were their own thing, Thor 3 and 4 were a very different feel… and then even Avengers, the Lebowski Thor, the Infinity War Thor, due to different directors and I think mostly my own need to do something different.”

    That “different” seems to be central to Hemsworth’s willingness to return to the character. “You know, I got sick of the character pretty quick every couple of years,” joked Hemsworth. “If I was going to do something again it would have to be tonally different. And we’d have to do something very drastic to keep people on their toes. Otherwise, it’s just the fatigue of those characters and those films, where people are like, ‘I’ve seen it.’“

    Part of Hemsworth’s concern comes from a more mature perspective. After being constantly busy for over a decade, he’s begun to slow down to spend more time with his family and, in that time, become a bit more contemplative about how he’d like his career to be shaped in the future and what legacy he’ll leave behind. “I’ve had my next job booked two or three years ahead of me for the last 12 years,” he says, noting that he doesn’t quite know what he’ll do next. Whatever it is “has to be more than a career move,” explained Hemsworth, an a project “worthy of my time.” As he ponders whether or not there’s more Thor in his future, there’s noteworthy irony in that statement.

    “Everything has more importance now,” he explains in continuing to discuss how he’ll choose future projects. “Because of the realisation that this isn’t going to last forever. I don’t want to leave a pile of rubbish behind,” Hemsworth says. “And I’m aware that there’s a few misses there.” Was one of those misses Thor: Love and Thunder?

    “‘We thought this one had too much humour, the action was cool but the VFX weren’t as good,’” Hemsworth say, recalling “a bunch of eight-year-olds critiquing” Love and Thunder. As for his own thoughts on the film, it’s safe to say it doesn’t stand among his favorites. “I cringe and laugh equally at it. I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly,” Hemsworth explained. “It’s always hard being in the centre of it and having any real perspective… I love the process, it’s always a ride. But you just don’t know how people are going to respond.”

    Fortunately for Hemsworth, should he desire to return to the role of Thor, Marvel Comics offer plenty of inspiration for new routes to take with the character. Over more than six decades after first appearing in Journey to Mystery #83, Thor has remained one of the publisher’s most consistently popular characters and his status as a nigh-immortal Asgardian could allow for MCU stories to be told in any era. Perhaps an Old Man Thor story might do the trick as Hemsworth looks to the future of the character.

    Source: GQ

  • Chris Hemsworth Wants to Reinvent Thor in his Next Appearance

    Chris Hemsworth Wants to Reinvent Thor in his Next Appearance

    Thor: Love and Thunder has faced quite an interesting reception since its release, as some were quite frustrated with it embracing the most comedic aspects of all entries. Yet, it seems that Chris Hemsworth is ready to embrace a new direction for the franchise. After Taika Waititi‘s work on the last two entries with a more comedic focus, it seems that the Thor actor is ready to tackle the character in a new way, as he likes “keeping people on their toes.”

    You look at Thor 1 and 2, they were quite similar. Ragnarok and Love and Thunder are similar. I think it’s about reinventing it. I’ve had such a unique opportunity with Infinity War and Endgame to do very drastic things with the character. I enjoy that, I like keeping people on their toes. It keeps me on my toes.

    Chris Hemsworth

    He also highlights that it’s his way to get himself invested in the project. While his statement “just for my own sanity” may get misinterpreted online, it definitely seems like he’s looking for the hook that inspires him to continue the character. It’s not too dissimilar from what we saw him share before Waititi joined Thor: Ragnarok.

    It keeps me invested. I’ve said this before but when it becomes too familiar, I think there’s a risk in getting lazy then because I know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’m even invited back. But if I was, I think I would have to be a drastically different version in tone, and everything, just for my own Sanity.

    Chris Hemsworth

    It’ll be interesting to see if we get a fifth entry in the franchise and what it might mean for Hemsworth moving forward. There are some darker stories that are definitely worth adapting, which might offer that fresh paint he’s looking for.

    You can watch the full interview with Happy Sad Confused Podcast here:

    Source: YouTube

  • 5 Marvel Comics’ Stories We’d Like to See in ‘Thor 5’

    5 Marvel Comics’ Stories We’d Like to See in ‘Thor 5’

    Thor: Love and Thunder certainly set the table for a fifth film in the Thor franchise with a mid-credit stinger which revealed that the Olympian Prince of Power has been assigned with taking the Odinson down a peg or two. Given Zeus’ command that Hercules knock Thor from the sky and humiliate him, the fifth film has to at least BEGIN on Earth with the two titans trying to prove superiority. However, if you think the whole film is going to be Thor vs. Herc, you’re probably mistaken. The two are more likely to go the Brennan and Dale route from Stepbrothers and, by the end of the first act, realize that they are best friends who need to go on adventures together. With that in mind, here are five potential stories that could be adapted for Thor 5.

    Thor: Fear Itself

    In classic Marvel Studios fashion, Thor: Fear Itself would have very little in common with the comic event other than borrowing the name, which is damn catchy, and the main antagonist. Family dynamics have often been at the center of the best Thor stories in the comics and in the MCU. Thor: Love and Thunder took a bit of a break from that, but Thor: Fear Itself could return to that winning formula by introducing a pair of terrifying family members: Thor’s uncle Cul Borson and The Midgard Serpent, Jormungand, Thor’s…nephew?

    Thor: Ragnarok introduced the idea of Odin keeping some pretty major secrets from everyone, an idea that could come back to haunt Thor and New Asgard. In the comics, Odin imprisoned his brother and Jormungand deep in the oceans of Earth. Having Cul, who becomes known in the comics as “The Serpent” team up with Jormungand, an actual serpent, and do battle with Thor and Herc would allow for some spectacular battle scenes fully in line with two-time director Taika Waititi’s heavy metal sensibilities. Having a long-lost uncle come into play would also give Waititi plenty of room to mess around with some comedy before an absolutely insane third act.

    Thor: Journey Into Mystery

    One of the greatest characters of Thor’s supporting cast that has yet to hit the MCU is Karnilla, the Queen of Norns. A part of Marvel Comics’ take on Norse Mythology since 1964, Karnilla’s alliances have shifted multiple times over the years, siding with many of Asgard’s enemies, but occasionally siding with Asgard when is served her. Karnilla was always a powerful sorceress and her connection to the Three Norns, the goddesses of fate, and their shared past with both the Asgardian and Greek pantheons could make her the perfect antagonist for Thor: Journey Into Mystery.

    Pulling Karnilla into the fifth film could allow for some flashbacks to Asgard, the location of Karnilla’s home, the Nornkeep, during Thor’s younger days and MAYBE allow for Marvel Studios to FINALLY bring another major supporting character off the bench: Balder the Brave, Thor’s brother and Karnilla’s great love. As it turns out, the world of Nornheim already exists in the MCU and was visited by Thor and Loki in their younger days. Given that their trip their was only mentioned in passing during Thor, that trip to Nornheim could become whatever the writer and director of the film want it to be, including a convenient way to introduce a “dead” Balder by adapting a recent series of events from the comics that found him in Niffleheim as the ruler of Hel. With MCU’s Hel needing a new ruler in the absence of Hela, putting Balder on the throne and finding a way to make Thor and Herc end up there as part of a first act “destiny” plot wouldn’t be too hard to pull off.

    It would be very Greek of Marvel Studios, and maybe pretty Norse as well, to have Thor and Herc’s partnership fated for them, even against the will of Zeus. Avengers: Age of Ultron teased the Norns a bit with the Water of Sight, so the studio has clearly considered using them, and by proxy their Queen. Given the right touch, Karnilla could be both one of Thor’s greatest villains to date and one whose true intentions the audience is never sure of.

    Thor: The Last Days of Midgard

    Another Earth-bound adventure worthy of the two heroes teaming up can be found in the same place from which Waititi was inspired to make Thor: Love and Thunder. Jason Aaron’s epic run on Thor introduced not only Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor and Gorr the God Butcher, but also the terrifying CEO of Roxxon oil, Dario Agger. Agger, of course, was gifted (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with the ability to transform into the mythological Greek Minotaur. You can do the calculus for yourself here: angered by Herc’s friendship with Thor, Zeus turns Agger into the Minotaur.

    During Aaron’s run, Agger often teamed up with one of Thor’s oldest foes that has yet to make his way to the big screen, Ulik the Troll. In those comics, Thor teamed up with Jane’s Mighty Thor to take on these villains and he’s definitely going to need some help if the two team up to terrorize the MCU. Agger’s ties to Greece and Greek mythology make him the perfect baddie to follow up Zeus’ appearance in the MCU and square off against Hercules in Thor: The Last Days of Midgard. And Agger’s position as the head of Roxxon would also open the door for Waititi, should he return to direct the film, to use the film to bring environmental issues and the climate crisis to light, topics he’s been very vocal on in the past, making The Last Days of Midgard a haunting and appropriate subtitle.

    Thor: When Meet the Immortals

    Clearly any and all Marvel Studios adaptation of Marvel Comics are growing incredibly loose and this would be no different. Thor: When Meet the Immortals would take inspiration from an arc by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that began when Thor and Hercules first met in Journey Into Mystery Annual #1 and continued as Journey Into Mystery became retitled as Thor. For the fifth entry into the Thor franchise, Waititi could work to adapt a 7-issue arc that ended with Thor #130.

    This arc provides the best opportunity for Waititi to tap into the Stepbrothers-style relationship between Thor and Hercules while also giving them the type of near impossible challenge both have always thrived on in mythology and in the Marvel Comics. After being sent to Earth to humiliate Thor, The Lion of Olympus not only becomes best buds with Odinson but also falls in love with being a superhero. Enraged, Zeus enlists the help another of his offspring, the bloodthirsty Ares. Meanwhile, seeing his brother’s weakness exposed by Thor, Pluto/Hades plots against Zeus and looks to take over Olympus. Alliances change, and Thor saves the day in the third act by defeating Pluto in the “Netherworld.” An adaptation of this old arc allows for some serious god-on-god violence and provides a more appropriate place for Waititi’s trademark humor than Love and Thunder provided.

    Thor: Now Ends the Universe

    A common complaint about Thor: Love and Thunder was that when it was all said and done, the stakes seemed relatively low. What better way to counter that than to have the greatest stakes imaginable: the end of the universe? And what better way to spite Zeus than to have his son, who he sent to humiliate Thor, work alongside the God of Thunder as a superhero that saves the universe? And what better threat for them to take on than The Hatred Who Walks, Mangog.

    While at face value the Mangog might seem like a redundant villain following Gorr the God Butcher, the character actually provides a path to redemption for the franchise following the luke warm reception to the antagonist of Love and Thunder. Just when Thor thinks he can turn the corner and look the the future, the past of his father (and, for the sake of the MCU, Herc’s father, too) comes back to haunt him in the shape of Mangog. In the comics, Mangog, the last of his race, is imprisoned by Odin after the King of Asgard slaughtered his people. We know from Ragnarok that Odin was quite the conqueror with quite few skeletons in the closet. Mangog, who is powered by the hatred of the billion billion beings slaughtered by Odin, would be quite the skeleton.

    For the sake of the MCU, it would easy enough to have a cold open that showed Zeus teaming up with Odin to imprison Mangog a thousand years ago or so. Whether it be the destruction of Asgard that set the monster free or perhaps Zeus being weakened after Thor’s attack at Omnipotence City, the end result is that Mangog is free and on the hunt for the film’s MacGuffin: the Odinsword, which has the power to destroy the universe. Mangog’s sheer power makes him more than a match for Thor and Hercules and his absolutely wild appearance would make him an unforgettable antagonist. He seems perfect for Waititi and it’s surprising he’s somehow never made it to the MCU yet.