Taika Waititi wasted no time making it clear that his version of the MCU’s Thor would have little in common with the character that was introduced in 2011 and spent several years and appearances being overshadowed by his fellow Avengers. After being sidelined in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, the God of Thunder returned in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok in which Waititi deconstructed the hero and set him on a journey that would find him stripped bare of everything that he thought he was and all those who mattered to him. When we last saw him at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor was headed out into the galaxy to star over. And according to Waititi, in an interview with the Associated Press, that’s right where his story will pick up in this summer’s Thor: Love and Thunder.
Thor is just trying to figure out his purpose, trying to figure out exactly who he is and why he’s a hero or whether he should be a hero. I guess you could call it a midlife crisis.
Taikia Waititi
The recent teaser for the film gave that vibe, with Thor meditating and reflecting while searching for peace. Unfortunately for the Odinson, any peace he finds will be fleeting as he’s fated to come face-to-face with Gorr the God Butcher who was teased-not-seen in the aforementioned teaser. According to Waititi, Gorr-brought to the screen by Christian Bale-will not only provide an unprecedented threat to Thor, but is poised to find himself in high company saying, “in my humble opinion, we have probably the best villain that Marvel’s ever had in Christian Bale.”
And though Thor has lost his father, his brother, his Warriors Three and his best friend, he’s picked up a couple of new pals along the way in Valkyrie and Korg, and is set to be reunited with familiar face he thought lost in ex-flame Jane Foster. These friends, old and new, will be with him while he takes on a threat not only to him, but gods of all Pantheons. Waititi calls the squad “a great, really fun, weird little group of heroes, a new team for Thor with Korg, Valkyrie and The Mighty Thor.”
Waititi isn’t one to make promises upon which he can’t deliver. He’s often described Love and Thunder as crazier than Ragnarok and if he’s hyping it and Bale’s performance this much, there’s reason to be excited. Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters this July.
Source: AP
